A Policeman's Tale
by Ytak
Summary: A slice of life story. 60 days in the personal and professional life of Detective Takagi. Diverges from manga by file 625 or round about there. Now updated twice a week. COMPLETE
1. Day 1 and Day 2

Day 1: Mail

It was long past sunset when Takagi dragged himself through the front door of his small apartment pausing only to check the mail. He groaned when he saw all the mail waiting for his attention. Juggling the mail and his briefcase as he changed into the house slippers was tricky but something he learned to master long ago.

His feet dragged as he made his way to the kitchen. Carelessly, he dropped the mail on a sizable pile on the kitchen counter. The growing size of the pile caused Takagi to wince. He just knew that there were bills in that pile and they needed to be taken care of very soon.

With a sigh, he picked up the pile and moved it to the table and began to sort it. Halfway through the pile, his stomach reminded him that he had not eaten in sometime. The paperwork from the morning forced him to take a short, early lunch and it was now well past supper time.

A short trip to the kitchen relieved his hunger pangs but also revealed that there was not a whole lot to eat. Supper consisted of two day old takeout and some stale French bread. Takagi resolved to go shopping in the morning. The heavy workload left him too exhausted of late to day any serious shopping and he was tired of eating on the run. He wanted to groan again when he came back the table and the mail waiting on it for him.

Takagi was very grateful that he had the next day off. But he was not looking forward to all the errands and chores he needed to do. That was one reason to take care of the mail tonight. Anything done tonight meant a little easier day off before he returned to work. If a person or two had decided to take their vacations later, the workload would have been lighter but with five people out of the office, the workload became heavy. And with Sato gone, too, he was missing one of the highlights of his work days.

The pile of mail refused to disappear or take care of itself despite the glare he was sending at it. With a heartfelt sigh, he returned to the task of sorting.

"Let's see what there is. Bill, bill, junk mail, junk mail, bill, magazine, post card, bill, bill, junk ma... Post card?" he said, feeling puzzled. It was the picture of a forested mountain in winter and 'Hokkaido' written across the bottom in calligraphy.

Turing it over, he saw a familiar scrawl that brought a smile to his face.

_Takagi-kun_, it began,

_I hope they haven't been overworking you. I know that I'm not the only taking vacation. Hang in there! I'm sending you a souvenir. And don't tell Yumi!_

_-Miwako Sato_

Takagi read the short message a few more times before putting the card in its own pile. He stared at it happily before turning his attention back to the pile of mail. The task of sorting it did not seem quite so onerous any longer.

* * *

Day 2: Trance

Morning dawned too early for Takagi. A bird decided that the best place to start its morning song outside Takagi's bedroom window, not just outside his window but clinging to the almost nonexistent sill. The bursts of song were interrupted briefly as the bird would peck the occasional insect off the sill but after half an hour, Takagi decided that trying to wait out the bird was not worth the wait.

_The only redeeming thing today_, he thought as he stumbled to his small bathroom, _is that I do not have to go to work feeling like a zombie. Not that it is going to count for a whole lot today if I don't get to bed early._

A quick, and cold, shower, woke him and he dressed quickly. A trip to the kitchen showed the same unappetizing food. While Takagi did not want to eat out, there were few options. He asked himself how long it had been since he last went grocery shopping and could only draw up a blank. The upside was that he could start with the errands. _With any luck_, he thought, _the afternoon will be free_.

It was a stretch but Takagi was just able to fit in all his errands and shopping before lunch. He was not bothered about eating lunch at two and was pleased to be able to plop down in front of the television and go into a trance as he watched it.

He was startled out of his trance two hours later by the doorbell ringing. He hopped up and promptly jumped around because of the pins and needles feeling in his feet. "I'll be there in a moment!" he yelled.

Still limping a little from the pain, he opened the door to find deliveryman there with a package. "Takagi Wataru-san?" the deliveryman said. Takagi nodded yes and grabbed his hanko off the small stand by the door. Stamping the form the delivery man handed him, Takagi gave it back and took the medium sized package.

Takagi took the package to the kitchen. _Is this the package Sato-san said she was going to send?_ he wondered. He shook it slightly and frowned when the muffled movement told him nothing about its contents.

Retrieving a pair of scissors from a draw, he opened the package and laughed when he saw what it was. It was basically a care package stuffed full of food only found in Hokkaido.

Inside, there was a short note.

_Takagi-kun, now you can't complain about not having any food around! I'm sorry about the size. I went a little overboard. There is something special on the bottom._

He began to take out the food. There were types ranging from ramen to cookies to cheese. At the bottom of the box was a small box. He gently lifted it out of the package. It was a small carved box. Opening it up, he found a small, carved fish on a necklace. A piece of paper fluttered out that explained it was a charm for good luck.

Takagi was touched and found himself putting it on without thinking. He found himself remembering what Sato told him before she left on vacation. _"Takagi-kun, look out for yourself. Don't rush headlong into things. I don't want you to get hurt."_ That last part she had said in almost a whisper and he had promised her that he would look out for himself.

Takagi was amused at her lack of confidence in him. That was the only reason for all the food. He also knew the charm was out of her fear for him. He resolved to take extra care of himself, so she would not worry.

There was one minor thing bothering him. "I thought the package would have shown up more than a day after the postcard," he muttered to himself as he snagged the postcard off the refrigerator. It was postmarked almost a week earlier and the package four days ago. He shook his head, "It must have gotten lost in a bag somewhere." _I'm glad the card came first, otherwise I would not be able to keep it secret. Yumi would know. I _can_ tell her about the card as a reason for being happy. Everyone will accept that._

After picking out one of the desserts Sato sent to go with his supper, he put the rest of the food away and ate supper. Over dessert, he pulled out some files for a case he was working on. Tomorrow, he was supposed to go to the wake to question some suspects. The was evidence pointing to someone in that family to hiring thugs to intimidate some business rivals.

"Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day," Takagi told himself.

* * *

A hanko is a personal seal with the family name that commonly used in place of a signature in Japan http://en. 


	2. Day 3

Day 3: Baby

"He came from nowhere swinging a bat at one of the children!" a woman sniffed as a paramedic held a pad to her head to stop the bleeding from a cut. "I yelled at him and ran to protect the children. You wouldn't think a man that slight would be able to swing like that. Then he took a swing at me. I don't remember much after that. Just crying and screaming from all the children." She fell silent and began to lean dangerously to the side.

The paramedic looked at his partner and nodded. They helped the woman lie down on the stretcher. "I'm sorry, detective, but we need to take her to the hospital. Head wounds can be dangerous and not look it until it it too late."

Takagi nodded, "I understand. Thank you for staying." The paramedics gave him a cut nod and wheeled the woman off.

He winced as a baby's cry cut across the playground from an open window over the crying and weeping of the older children. The mothers being held back at the gate started crying for their children again. It happened every time a baby cried out. One of the daycare workers shut the window cutting off the wailing.

A cold wind picked up and blew a few lonely snowflakes across the playground. Those that touched the ground melted on the much warmer surface. A cold front was moving through with a vengeance blowing away the last touches of autumn.

_This case was not a good way to start out the day_, Takagi reflected. He had just walked in the door when the call of the attack came in. Inspector Megure had snapped out three names. That was how Takagi found himself at the daycare with Tsutsumi and Terada.

"Takagi-kun!" he heard behind him. Tsutsumi was trotting his way. He looked bothered. "Did you get a good description of the attacker?" He sounded stressed to Takagi.

Takagi shook his head, "No. The daycare worker only described him as slight. Like he couldn't swing a bat like he did. We might get more from her later but she started to slip out of it and the paramedics took her to the hospital."

"Damn," Tsutsumi muttered, "All we have are vague descriptions and a general direction he ran. Most of the other workers were too busy taking the children indoors."

"How about we talk to some of the older children?" Takagi said, looking over at the building.

Tsutsumi winced, "I'm not sure how much we can get out of them."

"You might be surprised," Takagi said, walking towards the building.

He thought the children had been loud when he heard them through the windows that were cracked open he was unprepared for the assault on his ears once he entered the building.

The workers were tired looking and all looked at him hopefully. He walked over to the nearest one. "I'm sorry to bother you but the children can't go just yet," he said quietly, the hopeful expression disappeared from her face. "I just need to talk to one or two of the children who witnessed the attack. Could you call a one or two of the older children?"

She looked unhappy at the request but called one child over, "Akira-kun, please come here."

Takagi squatted down to be on a level with the child. "Akira-kun, right?" The kid nodded. "You want to help your teacher, right?" The boy nodded again and quietly said, "Yes."

"Well, I need your help." The boy's eyes widened. Takagi noticed that some of the other children were beginning to listen in. "Can you tell me if he said anything? Or is there anything about him that you really remember about him?"

"Um, he wasn't a big person. We thought he was returning the bat. We lost it over the fence a week ago. Yamazaki threw it over the fence," he said, glaring at the offender.

Yamazaki looked heartbroken, "If I hadn't been mad, I wouldn't thrown the bat. It's my fault the Misaki-sensai is hurt." He began to tear up.

Takagi patted him on the head, "Then that person probably would have found something else to use instead. Those sort of people usually will find something to use."

"That bad person smelled like a flower," a little girl to Takagi's left said abruptly. "I could smell it when Misaki-sensei protected me." Her face was tear stained but she seemed to get stronger when she spoke.

"An' he grunted funny, too," added another child.

"What sort of 'funny'?" Takagi asked.

He thought about it a moment, "Kinda girly." A boy behind him nodded in agreement and added, "An' he had some sand colored hair sticking out under his hat."

A baby started to wail again, setting off two other babies. The children around Takagi began to tear up again. "Hey, it's okay," he told them quickly, trying to keep them calm. "I'll see about getting your parents. You've really helped. Don't cry. We're going to find the person that did this, okay."

A couple of children wiped their noses with the back of their hands and looked at him hopefully. "Yes, you have been a big help. We are going to find this person. It might take a little while but we'll catch him."

A little girl gave him a hug, "Thank you, Mr. Policeman." A couple of other children collect hugs from him before he stood.

Takagi thanked the worker and told her that he was going to see about letting the children go with their parents. At a trot, he left the building and located his fellow investigators.

"Tsutsumi-san, Terada-san!" he said, catching their attention.

"What is it? You learn something from the children?" he said gruffly and in a tone that seriously doubted that there was anything to be learned from _children_.

Takagi caught himself before he shot a glare at the older man. It would not be wise to glare at a someone with seniority. _Besides_, Takagi thought, _I don't think he's ever worked with Conan-kun and his friends. If he had, he'd know better!_

Takagi took out his notepad and wrote down what he learned as he told the other officers, "Sand colored hair. The bangs are, at least. And the suspect made a 'girly' grunt."

Terada looked surprised. "The hair color will help. That isn't a common color."

"A teenager, maybe?" Tsutsumi suggested.

Takagi nodded, "That's what I was thinking. Especially if he dyed his hair."

Terada put his notebook away, "Let's ask around again. _Someone_ might remember the hair better that the height or clothes."

"Sir," Takagi said, getting their attention, "First, let the parents pick up the children. One of them might know something. Besides," he added looking at the hopeful faces peaking out of a window, "we can't keep children here for long. We can get their information from the daycare."

Terada nodded. "Tsutsumi, why don't you do that. Takagi and I will ask

The three officers split up and began to question around again.

That night, Takagi all but fell into bed. They had gotten nowhere. It was as if the attacker had just vanished completely. With any luck, they would learn more from the worker who was attacked. A call to the hospital let them know that she would be there a few days for observation. He could go in tomorrow.

Takagi did not want to break his word to the children.


	3. Day 4

Day 4: Funeral

Takagi straightened out the papers on his desk. By the time he finished, there were three piles of organized files left on the desk. One was miscellaneous crimes that could be investigated at leisure (hypothetically) and forms to be filled out and filed away. The other two piles were the cases that were actively under investigation.

The first pile was the daycare attack case. The second was the business rival case. Takagi began looking at the first pile. While the comments of the adults matched, some of the children had a different tale to tell.

Takagi did not want to discount what the children told him. He knew children see things differently than adults. He felt that there was something in their comments.

"Takagi-san," said a voice, causing Takagi to jump. Tsutsumi, for that was who it was, sounded apologetic, "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine," Takagi said, hastily straightening the papers he scattered when he jumped. "Is there something you need?"

"I might have a lead on the daycare case but Inspector Megure wanted me to remind you that you still need to interview the members of the Hiruma family. You might be able to catch them after the funeral if you hurry." He added, "The inspector doesn't want you to spend too much time on it. The daycare case is too important to put off."

"Thank you," Takagi said, switching to the other case, "I'll let him know when I go."

"We'll talk afterward," Tsutsumi said, "Terada and I are going to check out the lead."

Takagi opened the Hiruma file and began to review the details. With any luck, a few more questions would clear up the matter. Takagi looked around for his partner in the investigation, Kimura, and eventually found him in the break room getting some coffee.

Waving him down, Takagi asked, "Do you know what time the Hiruma funeral is?"

"Just a moment," Kimura said, digging out his notes. "It starts in an hour. Why?"

"Inspector Megure thinks that after the funeral would be a good time to talk to our suspects."

Kimura looked panicked for a second. "Then we'd better go now if we want to be in place when it's over." He reluctantly dumped the coffee down the sink. The two officers headed to the garage and climbed into Takagi's car.

On the way there, Kimura briefed Takagi on what he learned yesterday at the wake. "I think I know who is responsible but it wasn't practical to take him in for questioning yesterday." He flipped through his notes and outlined what he learned and who he suspected of the crime.

"How well does the evidence point to him?" Takagi asked.

Kimura winced a little, "Not as well as I'd like. A really good lawyer could, no, _would_ make an argument for it to fit a few other people."

"Hmmm," Takagi said, thinking about the problem. Out loud, he added, "And he is too powerful to simply confront with the information to get him to confess. Is there _anything_ that ties him specifically to the crime? It doesn't matter if it is small. We can use that to build on the evidence."

Now it was Kimura's time to think. They rode in silence for a few minutes. When Takagi was about to suggest and alternative strategy, Kimura said, "I've got it!" He reached back into his jacket and brought something out. "His alibi doesn't quite match up."

The rest of the way to the funeral, they spent discussing how they wanted to trap the suspect. With any luck they would have their guy.

A couple of hours later, Takagi found himself driving back to the station. Kimura was at one of the local stations, getting an official confession before heading back with the suspect to the jail. The trap they laid worked better than they thought. One of the own son's of the suspect actually confronted his father and handed over more evidence. Evidence that could not be refuted.

Now that this case was wrapped up, Takagi's mind drifted back to the daycare attack.

Girly grunt. Sand colored hair. Slight form. For a moment, it felt like he could feel the pieces fall into place.

And if Takagi were not driving, he would have smacked himself. The attacker was not a teenager, but a woman! They had been so caught up on the assumptions of the daycare workers that the attacker was a man that they had disregarded the possibility of it being a woman.

He recalled the case where there were three suspects that each fit one of the descriptions given by witnesses and the assumptions made then. It was similar in some ways. He would not rule out a teenager but the possible base of suspects had just increased.

At a stop light, Takagi pulled out his cell phone and called Terada to share his epiphany. Terada was quiet a moment before letting out a colorful word and telling Tsutsumi that they were going to change their line of questioning.

Terada gruffly said, "Thanks for calling us. All of the teens we were told to look into are out of town on a field trip to Okinawa or on some other school field trips. That would explain all the dead ends we've had this morning."

"I'm sorry, sir, but the thought just occurred to me," Takagi apologized.

Terada grunted, "Not your fault. Tsutsumi and I are both more experienced and it didn't occur to us, either." There was a pause as Takagi heard Tsutsumi say something to Terada. "We'll see you back at the station, Takagi, in an hour."

"Yes, sir," Takagi said, knowing that he needed to finish up with the Hiruma paperwork in that time. Now he felt like he could properly focus on the daycare case. He made a note to call the hospital to see how the daycare worker was doing and if they could go in for an interview tomorrow.


	4. Day 5

Day 5: Birth

Takagi pulled his car into spot in front of the hospital reserved for police. Takagi and Tsutsumi both shivered as they stepped out of the car. The temperature had dropped even further over the last few days. A light rain the evening before now coated everything in a fine layer of ice. Driving conditions were hazardous and the two officers could tell that the hospital was seeing more than the usual amount of patients.

As they stood waiting for an ambulance to disgorge its patient, Takagi asked Tsutsumi, "Does Terada-san want us to meet him at the koban later?"

Tsutsumi replied, "He wants us to call him first. Depending on what we learn, we may simply ask around the neighborhood again." Tsutsumi sighed and shook his head. "I want to catch this person soon." Tsutsumi was still of the opinion that the attacker might be a teenager or young man. He thought it would be sloppy work to rule it out until they heard from the daycare worker who was attacked.

The paramedics worked quickly to take the gurney from the ambulance. But as one of them pulled the gurney out, he slipped on a patch of ice and went down. The gurney did not unfold properly and the woman on it nearly fell off it. Takagi and Tsutsumi ran forward to help. The woman on the gurney seemed to be all right but the paramedic was on the ground. He appeared to be unconscious. One of the hospital personnel saw what happened and ran inside to get help.

Tsutsumi and the other paramedic checked on the fallen man while Takagi checked on the woman.

Takagi knelt next to the woman; her face was scrunched up in pain. "What's wrong, ma'am?" he asked, worried that the fall had hurt her.

She grunted, "...coming..." With those words, Takagi noticed her swollen abdomen. He waved at the other paramedic. The urgency of his wave got the unhurt paramedic over very quickly.

If asked what happened afterward, Takagi would only be able to say that he helped deliver a baby. He could not quite recall what he did, he just remembered following the paramedic's orders. Tsutsumi would add, after he stopped laughing, that Takagi was basically instructed to 'catch.'

It was no surprise, then, that they were a little late to interview the daycare worker. The nurse who was waiting to escort them was not even upset. Instead, she kept throwing Takagi amused looks, which would cause Tsutsumi to start chuckling all over again.

Takagi was very happy to arrive at the daycare worker's room, if only for the reprieve in the laughter that it would offer. When they entered the room, she gave them a weak smile. Her head was wrapped but, otherwise, she seemed fine. She slipped a bookmark into a book that was resting on her lap.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Misaki-san, but we need to ask you a few more questions," Tsutsumi said, pulling his chair a little closer to the bed and pulling his police notebook out. Takagi stood behind him.

She gave him another weak smile. "I'm afraid I don't remember much. The doctors say that the bump on my head might have done it. I do remember running to protect the children. He went straight for them."

"Is there anything about his appearance that sticks out?" Tsutsumi asked.

Misaki leaned back and closed her eyes. After few seconds she shook her head. "It is hard to tell under that shapeless jacket."

She paused, "Wait, there is one thing. Hmmm. I don't think I've ever seen a guy wear shoes like he wore." She frowned, "I've seen plenty of women wearing those shoes. I have a pair that look a lot like them." She told them the style and the color she recalled them being.

On the way out of the hospital, Tsutsumi commented, "It isn't much but it looks like you might be right about the attacker being a woman."

They climbed into the car and started back to the station. Tsutsumi called Terada to tell them what they learned and get an update from his end. They decided that they would would meet up with Terada at the koban after lunch to proceed with going through the local neighborhood surveys.

The duo dragged themselves to the break room and dug out their lunches.

Takagi was less than enthused at the store bought bento but he had been in a rush and did not have time to make a lunch. Tsutsumi took his back to his desk. Takagi contemplated doing the same thing until he heard a familiar voice that made him perk up.

"I don't know what's up with them, Yumi. With the way they're acting, its like I've been gone two months instead of two weeks."

He heard Yumi giggle, "Oh the difficulties of being popular! I know a great many people who would trade places with you."

The two women walked into the break room, "I'm not that popular, Yumi." Yumi just gave her a look which became impish when she saw Takagi out of the corner of her eye.

"I'll see you later, Miwako!" and nearly skipped out of the room.

"Gee, what's with her?" Sato said, before she looked around. "Ah, Takagi-kun! I didn't see you."

He stood up automatically, "It's not a problem!" She waved at him to sit back down and got herself a cup of coffee.

"I'm just in for a half day. Tomorrow, its back to the grindstone. I hear you've been busy."

He nodded, "An attack at a daycare. No real good leads."

She shook her head, "That's a sick person to try to attack a bunch of children." She pushed herself off of the counter she was perched on, "Well, if you need any help, ask!"

"I will!" he said quickly.

She looked at his meal and raised an eyebrow, "Don't you have anything better to eat than _that_."

Takagi laughed nervously, "I was in a rush this morning." And he added quietly, "And I didn't want any questions about how I got Hokkaido delicacies."

A blush crept onto her face and it was her turn to laugh nervously. "Well, I had better get to work. See you later, Takagi-kun."

Takagi watched her go with a smile on his face. Quickly, he finished off his meal and went back to his desk to work on some paperwork for the case until it was time to join up with Terada.

---------------------

A police box. Surveys done twice yearly by the police stationed at them are stored there and are used to fill in background information when a crime occurs. http://en. a boxed lunch


	5. Day 6

Day 6: Wedding

_There are days, _Takagi told himself, _that is it hard to get out of bed and going. _Yesterday had been a long day without a whole lot to show for it (or nothing he wanted to share). Still, he knew today was not the first day he had like this and he knew it would not be his last. A few co-workers snickered as he stumbled to his desk, yawning. He figured they were snickering at how he nearly tripped on every desk on the way to his own. And it seemed like he was knocking papers off every desk he hit.

He really hoped Sato did not notice the mess he made of her desk. As he had picked up the papers he knocked off her desk, he had noticed a photo that was not part of any open case. The heat in his cheeks reminded him that he was taking too long to put the papers back on her desk.

Carefully, he tucked the photo into his pocket with the promise to give it back to her later. He was a little embarrassed to admit that he wanted the photo of Sato throwing him.

Takagi would not lie to himself. Sato had looked lovely in that wedding dress. Even when she was throwing him.

Still, he wished that he had been informed of the set up in the wedding hall instead of being left in the dressing room.

The little voice in the back of his head that said he was never going to hook up with Sato said that would be the only time they looked like they were getting married. That the next time he saw her in a wedding dress, it would be when she was marrying another man.

That was a thought that constantly haunted him. It was hard to dispel under normal circumstances and the photo was something that was not normal and brought forth all the doubts.

At his desk, having managed to only run into one more desk on the way there, he found himself struggling with those thoughts.

He tore his attention away from those thoughts by pulling out the daycare attack case. The stark presentation of the information cooled those self deprecating thoughts and focused his mind.

Takagi looked through the information they had collected yesterday at the koban. It had taken most of the day but they had narrowed down the list of people in the neighborhood. The fact that the daycare worker remembered the shoes helped a lot more than they thought. Those shoes were popular within her age group but not with any other group.

No teenage girl would be caught in a pair and older women preferred footwear that was more supportive and less trendy.

That meant the attacker was in the same age group. There were only so many women in the area that age.

Some women they could rule out right away. A few had been out of town and a few more were office workers and would not be out at that time.

They had each taken a section of the area and would later go door to door interviewing. It was too much to hope they would find the culprit right away but there was no harm in hoping.

With his list, Takagi set off for the part of the neighborhood he was given. Some of the women he was able to rule out right away. Too short, too tall, too fat or the hair color was wrong. After some questioning, he was able to rule out a few more.

Some homes he would have to go back to later because no one was home.

Takagi sat down after a couple of hours to give his feet a chance to rest. His stomach reminded him of the time. Locating a convince store, he bought himself another bento. It was chilly out and the sky was overcast.

Halfway through the meal, his cell phone rang. It was Terada. "Takagi, there's been another attack. A couple of kids in the hospital. You need to get over here."

Takagi was stunned to learn that the attack was miles away. Did that mean the culprit did not live in the area? A roaming attacker would be a lot harder to track and locate.

He dropped the partially eaten bento into a trashcan and went to find his car.

The attack this time was at the exit of an elementary school. There was blood splattered on the concrete.

Terada saw what Takagi was looking at, "The attack wasn't as bad as it might look. A number of teachers moved in and the culprit ran off. There are no life threatening injuries."

He put his hands in his pockets to warm them up. The sun was setting and the temperature dropping. Takagi asked, "Do we have a description."

Terada shook his head, "Its no better than what we knew before. The culprit does move fast. Apparently, she can run even when hurt."

"One of the teachers got a hit in," Takagi asked, making the jump in reasoning.

Terada nodded, "A karate teacher. Whoever she is, she might have to seek medical attention. A possible broken arm. Yes, the hospitals have already been contacted and some of the nearby clinics."

"What would you like me to do, sir?" Takagi asked. It seemed like Terada already had all the bases covered.

Terada scratched his head and looked a chagrined, "Well, I'd like you to talk to the children again. Your good at getting information from children. There's that little detective kids' groups you get to work and you did good a couple of days ago." His chagrin grew even more, "Whenever Tsutsumi and I try to talk to the kids, they start to cry all over again."

Takagi laughed a little to himself as he went to look for the children who witnessed the attack. Terada was still feeling put off by the children providing better information than the adults the last time. Takagi only hoped that they could provide more information. By all reports, the attack happened even faster than the one at the daycare and it happened in an area that was high traffic, even more so no that school was getting out for the day.

Matters were hindered by the growing chill. It was now winter with a vengeance and everyone was bundling up. No one would think twice about a person bundling up to keep warm, especially now that snow was in the forecast.

Takagi was disappointed but not surprised that the children were unable to provide any information. Nor was he surprised that that was one of the day's many disappointments in the search for the woman.

She was like a phantom, there one moment and gone the next. With any hope, she would go to get help and they could catch her then.

-----------------

koban: police box (http://en.


	6. Day 7

Day 7: Understanding

* * *

The day had been a long and fruitless one. The feeling that they were chasing their own tails increased as the day progressed.

The three detectives understood that it would take time but the pressure kept mounting. The media had linked the two attacks and was asking what the police were doing. Some helpful stations told their viewers to call the police if they suspected someone or saw a stranger hanging around schools and daycares.

This was not without any upsides, for, two tips had led to the arrest of two suspected perverts and, quite possibly, discouraged others.

The bad news was that all of the leads they had from hospitals and clinics, so far, had not panned out. With any luck, she would go to one of them in the next couple of days.

Takagi was not the only person dragging his feet as he left work that day. Tsutsumi lacked the usual bounce that was in his step and Terada, well, Terada was always gruff but today he seemed to give off 'keep away from me' vibes that sent many of the younger officers scurrying away as soon as they had a plausible excuse (and a few with some not so plausible excuses).

The backlog of following up tips, with more being fielded by officers in the next shift, had held up the three detectives. Therefore, it was hours past their regular departure time before they left for home and busy day the next day, which would be even busier because Terada was ordered to take the day off by Inspector Megure.

With all those thoughts in his head, Takagi was a bit surprised to see an envelope sitting on the seat in his car.

Opening it up, he found and address and time with an aside saying that if he did not get out before the time to not worry about it.

He stared at the scrawl and realized that it was Sato's. That brought a small smile to his face. The address looked familiar. Wearily, he climbed into his car and headed towards the address.

It was a small noodle restaurant that the two had went to once after a case. Parked nearby was the Sato's red car. He pulled in behind it and walked over to the restaurant.

"Sato-san?" he said, as he entered the restaurant. She waved him over to a small table that had some drinks set on it.

"Takagi-kun!" she said, "I'm glad you didn't get out too late." When he looked for a menu, she added, "Ah, I hope you don't mind, I ordered something for you."

Takagi blinked and blushed faintly, "Thank you! Um, I don't want you to go through the trouble. I almost stayed to do some more paperwork."

"Oh, that," she said, laughing nervously, "I would have brought it to your place later tonight." Though she was taking a drink from her glass, he could see her blushing faintly.

His eyes were drawn to the sparkle of something on her hand. It was the ring he had given her and, to his chagrin, never told her what it was for.

He felt embarrassed when she caught him staring at the ring. "It is a pretty ring," she said, "Simple and elegant."

"I think it looks even better on you," Takagi blurted out.

Whatever she was about to say in reply was interrupted by the arrival of their dinner. Takagi sighed to himself. Of course the mood was spoiled. Something always happened to interrupt.

Feel a little let down, he dug into the noodles.

While the intimate mood was gone, the meal was still a pleasurable experience. The pair were glowing with happiness by the time they finished the meal. Takagi knew it was not the food but the company that made the meal so wonderful.

Sato brushed off Takagi's attempt to pay for the meal and shooed him outside. He waited anxiously for her to leave the restaurant. The deal with the ring hung over his head. He wanted to clarify its meaning.

He could help but smile when she appeared in the doorway. Together they walked toward their cars. Stopping in front of Sato's car, Takagi knew he had to tell her before his will collapsed.

Takagi took Sato's left hand in his hands. He brushed over the ring. His courage wanted to flee but he needed to clear something up.

"Umm, Sato-san?" he said.

"Yes?" she said, looking up at him.

He brought up the hand that had the ring. Licking his lips, he tried to find the words to tell her what he felt, what the ring was really for.

"Look, Sa- Miwako-san," he said, deciding that he really needed to use her name for what he was about to say and still hoping he was not being too forward. "This ring is, well, really an engagement ring. I'm not asking you to marry me. Not tonight," he added quickly, "But I will ask one day."

She gave him a stunned look but he thought she did not look displeased. He added with a swallow, "The ring is yours to keep but I would like to ask you to think about my proposal. I'm... I care deeply for you." Any other words he might have said died when he saw the look on her face.

It was joy. He found himself wiping a tear from her face. Part of him felt startled no one interrupted them.

And he was startled when she pulled him down for a kiss, but only for a moment, before he let himself go and kiss her the way he wanted to for a very long time. The stopped the kiss to breathe and look into the other's eyes.

"Wataru-kun...," Sato said with a small, yet very pleased smile, on her face.

He leaned in to give her another kiss when a throat clearing interrupted them. An embarrassed late night shopper gave them a sheepish grin and, in a roundabout way, reminded them where they were standing.

Sato groaned and gently thumped her head against his chest. He could hear her mutter, "Just one uninterrupted moment." He nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

She pulled away and gave him a brilliant smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, _Wataru-kun_."

"Tomorrow,...Miwako-san," he said waving bye to her as she climbed into her car and drove off.


	7. Day 8

Day 8: Kiss

* * *

Gray, snow laden clouds rolled raced across the sky. A cold wind kissed any unprotected skin and chilled the lungs with every breath. It was on this backdrop that a high school girl made a sad discovery.

With one leg sticking out of an alley, there lay the body of a young boy. From the initial appearances, he had been bludgeoned and died from the head trauma. The weapon lay on the ground a few feet away.

Takagi interviewed a clerk at a store next door. They both paused as they watched the stretcher be placed in the ambulance. The clerk was silent a moment. "Look, I'm sorry, we had a rush today and I didn't notice anything off with any of the customers. And I had no time to be watching out the window."

He watched the ambulance drive away and drew in a quick breath. "Have you talked to Hasegawa-san across the street? I think he was planning on putting a camera in the front of his business."

"Thank you. Let's hope he did," Takagi said, making a quick note. He jogged across the street and noticed that the clerk was correct. There was a camera on the front of the shop. It was not pointed in the right direction but that did not mean that it was useless.

------------------------------

"Damn punks thought they could get away with vandalizing my business," Hasagawa said gruffly. "They think I'm old and senile. Well, I've had the last laugh. Caught them on video two weeks ago."

"Is the camera still running?" Takagi asked, hopefully.

"Yeah." He gave Takagi a suspicious looked, "What do you want it for?"

Takagi went on to explain that it might provide some clues into an investigation. The gruff owner conceeded the point, after all, hadn't he done something like that to catch the vandals?

Takagi called over a forensic specialist and explained that they needed to pull the video from the camera. In turn, that man called over a very short woman and she made an immediate copy of the video, commenting on the quality of the equipment.

The gruff man snorted and said, "Just because I am old, doesn't mean I don't know technology. I believe in getting good quality, too."

------------------------------

"Takagi-san!" the technician said, excitedly, "You have to see this."

Takagi looked at the screen and gaped at the quality. The people across the street were identifiable with little modification. And walking across the screen was the victim. A haggard woman whipped her head around at him as he walked by her, bumping into her slightly.

She changed directions to follow the child. They disappeared off screen.

Many minutes passed before the woman reappeared. They could see her awkwardly holding her arm, as if it pained her before she disappeared off screen.

"Can you blow up her face and print it off?" Takagi asked, turning to go get Terada.

The technician grinned, "No problem."

A minute later, Takagi returned with Terada. The technician was printing out an enhanced photo with some other images lined up that she thought might be useful.

Terada studied the image a moment. The face was partially covered by a muffler but there was something about the woman that drew the eye.

He collected the other pictures of the woman, "Let's show these around the neighborhood and get them on TV."


	8. Day 9

Day 9: Police

* * *

"What's that smell?" a uniformed officer asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Terada shot the man a quelling look as they approached a normal looking apartment. A woman further down peeked out her door and closed it quickly. In the silence, they could hear the click of the door as she locked it.

_"Detective," a woman said, "I, I think that woman on the news last night was my neighbor."_

Takagi could see an ambulance waiting around the corner, along with a forensic team. It disappeared from view as the group gathered around the normal apartment door. The koban officer leading them broke off, his face green.

_"I wasn't going to think anything of it. I hate to be suspicious of her, she's been a good neighbor, but a funny smell has been coming from her place lately. I smell it whenever I walk by to get to my place. It's been getting worse and she won't answer her door when the landlord comes by."_

The smell was strongest right around the door, just as the koban officer reported. While he said he believed the apartment was occupied, no one answered the door when he knocked. He also reported that her two children had not been seen in weeks.

_"I asked about her kids about a week ago because I haven't seen them coming and going. She said they went to stay with their father in Hokkaido."_

While they knew it was not unheard of for children to go stay with their father, a quick check at their schools revealed that their records had not been transferred to a new school. What had happened to the children? was the unasked question. If the attacks were any indication, Takagi and the rest feared the worst.

_"I'm," she hesitated a moment, "I think she might have killed her children."_

Terada knocked at the door, "Excuse me? Ogura-san? This is the Detective Terada with Division One. We have to ask you a few questions. You can let us in or we can let ourselves in. You have a minute to decide."

The tension over the minute grew. Terada stepped back and motioned for the officer with the hand held battering ram to come forward. Just as the officer stepped in front of the door, the sound of a lock could be heard and the door opened a crack.

Despite the door only being opened a bit, a powerful stench flowed outward and almost physically pushed back the police with its intensity.

"Yes, officers? What do you need?" Ogura asked in tired tone.

"Where are your children, Ogura-san?" Terada asked.

Her face did not change as she said, "They are in their bedroom. It's where they have been."

"Can we see them?" he asked carefully.

For the first time, Ogura seemed to really see just who was standing outside her door. Her eyes passed over every officer before returning to Terada. "No," she said, her voice pitched upward in panic.

Terada braced the door open. "Ogura-san, I'm afraid we have to see your children."

"NO!" she screamed throwing her weight on the door, in an attempt to close it. "They are bad children! They are being punished!"

Takagi moved next to Terada and helped him push open the door. The woman fell and landed hard on the floor.

The room was dimly lit. The light coming in from the door illuminated the haggard appearance of the woman. There were clear circles under her eyes and one arm looked swollen even under the long sleeved shirt she wore.

Two of the uniformed officers took Ogura in hand as Terada, Tsutsumi, and Terada moved further into the apartment.

Tsutsumi carried a high powered flashlight. Takagi could hear him mutter, "How could anyone live with this smell?" In the light, his face looked even more greenish. Takagi thought, _He looks as green as I feel._

The first bedroom was the master bedroom. It was cluttered and looked like it had not been actively cleaned in a while.

The next room was the children's bedroom. As the person with the flashlight, Tsutsumi carefully opened the door and peered in. He made a sick noise and bolted out of the apartment. Terada slid a hand into the room and found a light switch.

As it was switched on, Takagi understood why Tsutsumi had run out of the apartment. On a the two children sized beds were two liquefied messes. With a little imagination, Takagi could see that they were the size of school aged children.

"Takagi-kun,"Terada said, his voice devoid of emotion, "Please make sure the forensic team is on its way up and check up on Tsutsumi-kun."

"Yes, sir!" Takagi said and immediately regretted that he took a deep breath. He scurried out of the apartment, swallowing hard to keep the bile down. Once outside, he took a minute to breath in the untainted air and allow the nausea to pass. Tsutsumi was sitting on the ground, his head bowed between his legs. Takagi kneeled next to him, "Are you going to be okay?"

Tsutsumi nodded his head a little. "I'll need a few minutes." A few seconds passed before he added, "That was bad."

"I know," Takagi said, throwing an involuntary glance back at the apartment.

Takagi patted him on the shoulder comfortingly, "Okay. I need to get the forensic team."

Tsutsumi said, "They're coming." Takagi could hear the approach of the team. It was punctuated by the occasional yell of Ogura as she was lead off to a squad car. Takagi looked over the railing and could see a paramedic rubbing his arm. Had the woman hit him? Takagi would not doubt it. He could see that her arm now had a splint on it. It took two officers to get her into the squad car.

Tsutsumi stood up, a little wobbly on his feet. "We had better go back and help Terada-san."

Takagi nodded in agreement even though he knew that it was going to cause more than a couple of nightmares.


	9. Day 10

Day 10: Insanity

* * *

Takagi made a disgusted expression and gladly accepted the tissue that Sato offered him. They could both hear the ranting and raving of the woman from the interrogation room. A chair clattered to the ground as two officers pinned her so she would not leap across the table to attack Megure. 

She had started out the interview edgy and evasive. But as it progressed and they showed her pictures of children, some from magazines and some of her own children, her reactions changed. She would sit quietly and stare at the pictures before grabbing a handful and tearing them to shreds.

"I'm glad I don't have to go back in there," Takagi said, wiping his face.

"I can't believe she spit on you," Sato said. "I don't understand how she can see-saw like that."

Takagi dropped the tissue in a trash can. "She was like that yesterday when we took her in. Almost normal one moment and violent the next. In fact, that's why she's being questioned today. She couldn't put a sentence together after she was arrested yesterday."

"Now it sounds like she's calming back down," Sato said, nodding to the now quiet room. "You going to go back in?"

Takagi shook his head, "No, I want to get some of the paperwork for this case out of the way."

Sato followed him down the hall to the office. "What are you going to do on your day off?"

"Huh?" Takagi said, looking puzzled.

"Don't you have tomorrow off?" Sato asked. "I know your last day off was canceled to handle this case. What are you planning to do?"

"Hmmmm. I hadn't thought about that. I know I'll have to do some paperwork." Takagi blinked and realized that he was not the only one with the next day off. "Ah, Sato-san, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"No set plans. Do you want to do something?" she asked with a smile.

Takagi flinched. Slowly he turned his head and looked behind him. He was not surprised to see the number of glares coming his way.

"Sure. Um, I'll give you a call after work to set some plans," he said, not wanting to broadcast what their plans in front of the whole department. A day off was supposed to be relaxing, not filled with glares from fellow officers spying on him. He dropped the volume of his voice, "I just want to be sure I'm not needed tomorrow to wrap this case up."

"Okay! I understand. Just pick something fun to do," Sato added before walking back to her desk.

A chill ran up Takagi's spin. He turned around. Tsutsumi was standing right behind him with a rather intense glare on his face. "Aren't you needed in the interrogation room?"

Takagi edged away. "Ah, no, Terada-san has it in hand. I'm going to be doing some paperwork now," he said, deliberately sitting down at his desk and pulling out his notebook, a couple of forms, and a pen.

A few moments passed before Takagi felt Tsutsumi leave. Cautiously, he glanced up. There were still a few officers throwing him dirty looks.

_They're all crazy!_ he sighed to himself.


	10. Day 11

Day 11: Impossible

Takagi groaned. What was he going to do? The weather reports the night before reported that the rain was going to happen south of Tokyo. Instead, Tokyo now was vying to become the next Venice, all it lacked were the gondolas. _At least we could have gone on a romantic boat ride there! _Takagi told himself.

Anxiously, he watched the phone, as if he could see the call coming in. The plans of a picnic and walk were gone. They could still see a movie but doing that alone was not his idea of a good date. The malls and shopping centers would afford too much cover for any spies. Still, their general plans were not know. For which, Takagi was grateful.

However, he still had a problem. What to do for their day together?

"So much for going on a walk through the park." Takagi paced a little. "Maybe a garden? But they are all outside," he thought aloud. "Wait a minute." He dove into an old pile of brochures, throwing most aside before coming to one. It read _A Guide to Dream Island!_ Inside, he found a solution to his problem.

A moment later, the phone rang, causing Takagi to jump. He leaped up and grabbed it, "Hello?"

"Hi, Wataru-kun," Sato said, setting the tone for the conversation. "It looks like our plans are rain out for the day. It doesn't seem right to ask for a rain check."

Takagi chuckled at her intentional pun. "Actually, I have an idea, Mi-Miwako-san."

"I'm listening," she said.

"Um, is it okay if it is a surprise?" Takagi asked, nervously.

Sato laughed, "Okay. Were are we meeting?"

"The same place as before. It's probably the best way to get there. With this rain, I wouldn't want to try to find parking. And I we can eat in the area."

"I like the idea. Where are we going, again," Sato asked.

"Dr-," Takagi chuckled, "It's a surprise."

Sato made a rude noise but he could tell she was not mad.

-------------------

Takagi gave himself a mental pat on the back. Sato loved their destination, the Dream Island Tropical Greenhouse Dome. With the last traces of fall now gone, the tropical environment of the conservatory was very welcome.

With a touch of chagrin, he realized that he spent almost as much time staring at Sato as looking at the plants. There were couples and families strolling around the place. Not so many that they felt crowded but enough to feel like they were being chaperoned.

As they rounded a corner, he was surprised to discover that they were now alone. Tentatively, he reached out and found Sato's hand only to jerk away at the sound of some voices. He heard Sato let out a small sigh of frustration.

"Look at those bananas! You think they're ripe?" said a child in a loud voice, breaking the mood. Takagi wanted to bang his head against the nearest tree.

"Ah! It's Detective Sato and Detective Takagi," said a voice that Takagi identified as Ayumi.

He cast a quick glance upward, _Can't I ever get a break when I'm with Sato-san?_

The answer he got was a strange silence. He looked down. Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko were all staring at him and Sato. Takagi swore up and down that children should not be able to make the same devious look that Yumi made when she was plotting something.

"Say, are you two on a date?" Genta asked.

"Of course they are!" said Conan coming from around the corner. Haibara trailed behind him, carrying a brochure to the Dome with a pen, making some notations.

"Hi, Conan-kun, Genta-kun, Mitsuhiko-kun, Ayumi-chan, and Ai-chan!" Sato said, giving them a smile. "You here today on an outing?"

"Yes, but we're finished now!" Conan said. "We're just waiting for the professor so we can go eat."

"He's taking forever!" Genta complained, putting a hand on his belly, "I'm starving!"

Agasa came around the corner. From his breathing, it was clear he had been running. "You kids could wait up for me a little. I'm not as young as I used to be." He blinked and noticed the two off duty officers, "Ah! Good morning. Or is it afternoon, now?"

"It's still morning," Haibara volunteered.

Ayumi looked up at him hopefully, "Can Detective Sato and Detective Takagi eat with us?"

"Uh, I suppose."

Takagi looked at Sato. She shrugged but shook her head very slightly. "Thanks for the offer, Professor Agasa, but we haven't been here long."

"Okay!" said Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko as one, "On to food!" They ran down the path followed by the three other members of their party.

For a moment, the pair stared at the path the energetic party had run off on. "Well... let's continue _our_ tour," Sato said taking his hand.

* * *

The Dream Island Tropical Greenhouse Dome is a real place in Tokyo. It is built on Dream Island which is basically an old landfill. See: http://apike.ca/japantokyoyumenoshima.html 


	11. Day 12

Day 12: Love 

"What's wrong, Chiba?" Takagi asked. Chiba looked like he was about to be buried under a pile of paperwork.

"Conan-kun and his little group stumbled across another murder yesterday."

Takagi winced. Somehow, that group always stumbled across something. That was one reason why he did not want to go eat with them.

"It was just after lunch." He put down his pen and gave Takagi a sly look. "So, did you do anything special yesterday?" Chiba's grin grew until it could rival a tiger's, "Like, say, go on a date with a certain female officer?"

Takagi blanched and quietly asked, "Who all knows?"

"Right now, just me and the Inspector but don't expect it to stay secret for long. Sato-san's smile has a lot of people on edge. And I think some of the officers collecting evidence might have overheard something." Chiba cast a quick glance around the room. "I know your place was staked out yesterday but you'd already gone for the day." He dropped his voice down even lower, "If I were you, I'd keep low today. One or two looked like they wanted to drag you in for questioning."

"Thanks for the heads up," Takagi said, going over to his desk. _It's probably more than 'one or two.' What am I going to do?_ he asked himself with a sigh. _Aside from all the paperwork that seems to multiply whenever my back is turned._

There was a memo on his desk about a meeting with Terada and Tsutsumi, to write up their investigation. That would give him a break from some of the other more jealous officers.

"Unfortunately, it isn't for another hour," he muttered to himself. He considered collecting up what he would need for the meeting and finding a place to sort and organize it that was out of the way but decided there was too much paperwork.

Resigned to the glares he knew were going to come, he dove into the paperwork.

The stack of papers that best held his attention were the ones on the interrogation of Ogura. _How could someone who claims to love her children kill them? Most people who kill their children then kill themselves. What made her do differently and how could their disappearance go unchecked for so long?_

As engrossed in the report as he was, he failed to notice Terada trying to get his attention. So, when he tapped Takagi on the shoulder, Takagi jumped. And promptly toppled back in his chair. Only Terada making a mad grabbed saved him from complete embarrassment.

Terada chuckled a little, "Sorry about that. You didn't hear me call your name."

"It's all right. I was reading the interrogation transcript."

Picking up his notes, Takagi followed Terada to a small meeting room. Cutting right to the point, Terada said, "We know why the ex-husband never reported anything. It turns out he went missing three weeks ago."

Tsutsumi added, "A missing person's report was filed at one of the Hokkaido branches by his employer. Apparently, he was taking some time off to see his children and never returned to work."

"What does Ogura-san say about her ex-husband," Takagi asked.

Tsutsumi shook his head, "Not much. She says she hasn't seen him in months. He can be placed getting off at the train station but that's the last place he was seen."

"So, she might have killed him, too," Takagi said, finishing the train of thought. "Might she have killed him first? Do we know when the children were killed?"

"The autopsies, well, have been difficult but it appears they died about the same time that he disappeared," Terada said. "So, unless she says anything, we might not know what really happened," he sighed.

Takagi flipped through his notebook, reading over his hastily scribbled notes, "She did say they were 'bad children.' Perhaps they knew something about their father. Maybe she was trying to keep them quiet?"

"That doesn't explain the attacks on the children around town," Tsutsumi said, looking at his own notes.

"It doesn't. It just seems like she snapped and all sanity disappeared," Terada said.

Takagi frowned as he looked at the date of the disappearance and the last date the children had been seen. They didn't match. They were close but something about it bothered him. Hadn't there been a minor earthquake the day the ex-husband disappeared? It had happened at a very busy time of the day, causing a lot of accidents. The worst one had been a bus accident. Some of the passengers were still in the hospital.

"What if she didn't kill him and he is in the hospital?" Takagi asked them. They looked at him like he had grown a pair of antlers. "I was thinking about the last day he was seen. It was the day of that earthquake that caused that bad bus accident. What if he was on that bus? Does its route run or in the direction of Ogura's home?"

The other two detectives looked at each other. "That's a good idea," said Terada. "And if he really is in the hospital, then the whole case will be easier to deal with."

Tsutsumi ran off to find out which hospitals all the victims of the bus accident went to and contacting each of them to see if Ogura's ex-husband, Iwase, was in any of them. Takagi decided that he would check if a list already existed in the police reports from the day to see if the ex-husband had been on the passenger list and, if he was, what hospital he might have been sent to.

While there was no record of Iwase-san on the bus, Takagi did find that he had been in an accident involving a taxi. He called Tsutsumi, who discovered Iwase in one of the local hospitals.

Later, the three detectives joined back up. "At least, we can rule out her killing her husband," Terada said. "If he hadn't been in that accident, we might have discovered Ogura sooner and prevented her from killing that one child and hurting the others."

He took the toothpick out of his mouth that he gnawed on and flicked it into the trash, "I'll leave you to start the piles of paperwork on this case. I have to participate in another interview with Ogura. However useful it might be. Today there is a psychiatrist in there. It might help."

"Yes, sir!" Tsutsumi and Takagi said. Allowing Terada to shuffle out of the room ahead of them.

Tstutsumi shook his head, "I don't envy him on his task."

Takagi nodded, "She's unpredictable. I wonder if is might be because she feels guilty?"

The other detective shrugged, "Who knows?"

* * *

Since this story is going to be quite long, I am open to a few ideas for Takagi. Some things I'm rather set on but if there is a sort of case you want to see, I'm open to ideas. 


	12. Day 13

Day 13: Roses

A single single white rose in a vase remained unwilted among all the flowers that had been placed at the site where the boy died. The flowers appeared almost as soon as the first news reports of the death hit the airwaves. Despite the fact that most were wilted, no one was ready to remove them, Takagi among them. But he needed to take another look at the crime scene and that meant moving some to get there.

It was clear that the investigators had done a thorough job collecting evidence, but now Takagi and Tsutsumi planned to do a rough recreation of what might have happened that day and to do a couple of follow-up interviews.

While they planned on doing the interviews later, they found that they were being approached by various people who wanted to add to their statements now that some of the shock had worn off. Nearly an hour passed before Takagi and Tsutsumi found themselves able to reenact the crime.

"Not a whole lot of new information," Tsutsumi said, moving some of the flowers to clear the alley.

"Maybe not, but they have helped fill in a few blanks," Takagi said. He pulled out the photos of the crime scene to orient himself. He handed Tsutsumi another set.

A uniformed officer nearby kept a crowd from gathering. Now that they cleared a path, people would try to approach them or the crime scene for a closer look.

The two detectives moved out to the sidewalk and went to the approximate location of where the initial encounter between the child and Ogura occurred. Step by step, they recreated what they thought happened, first slowly, followed by a more realistically timed reenactment.

An hour later, they did one last check of the crime scene. No one expected to find anything but it would be sloppy not to look one last time.

Takagi climbed into his car. Tsutsumi slid into the passenger seat. They sat in silence on the way back to the station.

"I'll see you in a couple of days, Takagi-san," Tsutsumi said.

"That's right. You mentioned you were taking a little vacation. Where are you headed?" Takagi asked as they walked through the parking garage towards Tsutsumi's car.

"I'm going to see my family. I have to check out my little sister's fiance." He gave a toothy grin, "I have to make sure he'll treat her right. I wanted to stay over Christmas but there was little chance that I'd get that day off." He opened his car door, "See you later."

Takagi bade him farewell and headed back to his office to drop off papers, the thought of Christmas at the top of his head. With the Ogura case so dominating his life up until the last few days, he lost track of time and the approach of Christmas. He wanted to do something romantic with Sato.

He drooped a little as he stepped onto the elevator. They were both working that day and he had the evening shift. Slowly he worked his way to his desk.

_If I want to do something, I will have to slip it in, _he thought. _Maybe I can't do something _with_ Sato but I can do something _for_ her, _he concluded, feeling a little better. _Now I just need to think of something._

He grabbed a blank piece of paper and began to write down ideas. The Ogura case lay temporarily forgotten. After a few minutes, he sat back, a pleased smile on his face. _It will take a little work but I think she will like it.__I wonder what her favorite flower is? Would she like roses or would she think they were too cliché?_

Glancing at his watch, he was shocked to see how much time had passed while making his plans. Quickly, he shoved his notes into his jacket pocket and went back to work on the notes for the Ogura case. A trial had been lost recently because the case has not been made airtight. Takagi was grateful he was not part of that department. By all accounts, they were going to be smarting for a long time. 

Takagi knew he was not the only one to be double checking the current cases. When his mind started to drift back to his Christmas plans, he realized that it was time to leave work. He was getting odd looks from the officers assigned to the night shift. Quickly, he wrapped up the current report and headed home, thoughts of the Ogura case and Christmas swirling in his mind.


	13. Day 14

Day 14: Rescue

--

With a groan, Takagi pushed up from his desk. It felt like every joint in his body popped and all his muscles needed to be stretched. Today had been a desk work day for him. Takagi did not want to think about how little he had moved from his desk.

Still, the pain and soreness were worth it. For the first time, he was completely caught up on all his paper work. Not just the Ogura case but all of the other, less pressing cases which had been pushed aside.

He was surprised to see that he had about an hour left for the work day. Taking a moment to stretch, Takagi collected the files to be filed.

_If I get these all filed away today, I will be able to go straight back to work when I get back and only have the usual paperwork waiting for me!_ He planned to make the most of his day off tomorrow.

There were some questions he had to answer, like, what was Miwako-san's address? And would her mother be home?

Takagi recalled hearing a few stories from Yumi about (in)famous battles of Sato and her mother, ranging from what she did on her days off to finding a man to marry who would advance far in the world. That brought his mind back to the marriage match-up thing. He still shuddered at how close he had come to losing her to Shiratori.

Would it be possible for him to get her the gifts without her mother asking awkward questions? That was the real trick he decided.

The drive to his apartment seemed to fly by. He mental berated himself for driving on autopilot. From experience, he knew that his trips always seemed faster when his mind wandered.

He froze as he stepped out of his car. There were a lot of children running around. More importantly, they were running into the apartment next to his.

_Dammit! _he thought. _I forgot that that there was a sleepover next door tonight._

Sighing, Takagi picked some trash out of his car and weaved his way through the children to his apartment. _It looks like I'll have to sleep in another room tonight._ He knew the parents would try to keep the children quiet. But he knew that it would a futile effort.

Entering his apartment, he could hear some noise coming through the walls. It would be worse in his bedroom being that it was flush against the other apartment. He did have to give them credit, they did warn him and they were usually quiet. But tonight he would have preferred it to be quiet. Shaking that thought off, he decided that he was glad they had been quiet during the last week or so. Noise would have mixed poorly with that case.

He sighed again and dropped threw the trash away. As he changed, he could hear laughter crescendo through the thin walls. He fervently hoped that they would settle down at a decent hour. It would better to get started early in the morning.

A ring came from the kitchen. Sprinting to answer his cell phone, he nearly tripped over his own feet. Breathlessly he answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey, Takagi! Any plans for tonight?" said the voice on the other end. After a moment, Takagi identified the voice as Chiba's voice.

"I did," he muttered. "Sort of. But I might be able to make some time." _Anything to get some quiet or relax!_

"Well, I just picked up the latest concert recording of II Mix Delta. I thought you might like to come over and watch it. You can stay the night if you want to have a couple of drinks. I have work in the morning, so, it can't be a late night."

Takagi considered to proposal for a moment before agreeing to come over for the night. "I like the idea. And thanks for the save," Takagi said. "The neighbors next door, well, their son is having a sleepover. And the walls are a bit thin."

"Oo, that's rough," Chiba said absentmindedly. "See you in a bit?"

"Yeah. I'll be over in about half an hour," Takagi said, gathering a few things for his own little sleepover. "You want me to pick up something to eat?"

"If you want." Takagi could hear Chiba moving around, "Actually, that would be a good idea. Er. There isn't a whole lot here." Takagi laughed at him.

"I might be a little later, then."

"I'll see you later," Chiba said. "Bye."

"Bye."

This time, Takagi breathed a sigh of relief. At least, he could relax in the company of a friend. _Maybe Chiba might have some good ideas on what I can do for __Sato?_ Takagi laughed at that thought. Chiba had not had a steady girlfriend in ages. _Probably not the best person to ask. Still, he might have an idea._

Takagi trotted back down to his car, some overnight stuff tucked under his arm. He was not complaining about the rescue from his neighbors' sleepover.

An hour later, Chiba munched his way through a sandwich, while listening to Takagi's idea. "Good idea. You're right about trying to avoid her mother. If she were around when Sato-san received the gifts, then that might get you in hot water. Too bad your shifts weren't switched."

"Why?" Takagi asked.

Chiba grinned, "Then you could've hid the gifts in her desk and her mother wouldn't find them!" His grin grew positively devilish, "Maybe for her birthday, instead?"

Takagi sighed. He was no closer to solving the problem than before. He had two ideas. One he wanted to avoid badly. At the very least, it would lead to extreme embarrassment and gossip. The other would possibly lead to the wrath of his fellow officers if he were caught. It was one thing to be doing an interrogation and another thing entirely to be on the receiving end.

Still, Takagi felt some things were worth the risk.

* * *

II Mix Delta is the new incarnation of Two-Mix. Now composed of Minami Takayama, Shiina Nagano, and Joe Rinoie.


	14. Day 15

Day 15: March

* * *

Takagi sat down wearily on a bench. Next to him were two other weary shoppers, taking care of last minute gifts. His own purchases were limited.

One bag contained a gold wrapped box of Godiva chocolates. Another bag had a gift certificate for a foot massage at a spa. More than once, he overheard Sato and some of the other female officers complaining about how their shoes made their feet hurt.

Tucked safely away was an invitation to dinner at one of the nicer (but not stuffy) restaurants in the area.

He rolled his head and felt his neck pop. Sighing, he considered the still standing problem of how to give Sato the gifts. A night's sleep provided no further insight.

Pulling his cell phone out of his coat pocket, he typed in a number but did not push the call button.

_I still can do something else, can't I?_ he asked himself. _I don't have to call _her_ for advice do I? _Takagi sat for a few more minutes watching the crowd. Glancing down at the now dark screen, he pressed the call end button a few times, clearing out the number. _There's still time to figure out how to give Miwako-san the presents. There is no need to call Yumi-san. I hope, _he added ruefully. Takagi stood up and began to march across the shopping district. It was time to go home and formulate a plan.

When he arrived back at his apartment, he was no closer to a solution than before. He sat down in his tiny kitchen and dropped his head to the table with a satisfying (and somewhat painful) 'thunk.'

"Calling Yumi-san for advice would be worse than just walking into office during the day shift and announcing my plans." He sighed, "But because she's the center of the rumor mill, she knows everything. She would have the best advice and probably would help me out but I'm sure she'll have some price that I'll regret. What to do?"

He jolted upright when an idea came to him. With a grin, he grabbed some nice stationary and started writing. It took him a few tries (he mentally cursed himself for wasting his good paper) until the message was just the way he wanted it to sound.

Carefully, he placed the gifts in pretty bag and tied them shut. He felt embarrassed at his attempt to make the pretty curls with the ribbon but knew that it was going to be the best he could manage under the circumstances.

Takagi hoped she would not be offended by his... delivery but he _really _wanted to be circumspect in her the gifts. Aside from the trouble he would get, Yumi and the other women on the force would make life interesting for Sato.

He felt a little guilty that he was going to give Miwako her gifts during her shift but what was life with out a little subterfuge? He grinned in spite of his guilt, _She will probably be amused to receive a letter through the official office correspondence. And we both have legitimate reasons to send stuff through it all the time._

Takagi dove into the papers he brought from work and came up with an only slightly crumpled envelope. He grinned. It was one of the regular ones that circulated at work. It would not take any work at all to send it off.

Takagi felt good about his plan. Mentally, he crossed his fingers and offered up prayers to any deity listening to give him a break and let him pull it off.


	15. Day 16

Day 16: Hospital

* * *

Takagi winced along with Shiratori as the paramedic dabbed astringent on Shiratori's face. The cut was smaller than it looked no that it was not bleeding, Takagi was glad to see. The other paramedic brought a bandage and placed it over the cut.

The paramedic looked over his handiwork and gave a nod, "We'll that's about all that can be done since you don't appear to have a concussion, just a nasty bump and cut. Still, it would be best for you to set up a doctor's appointment for tomorrow, just to be safe." He turned to Takagi, "Keep an eye on him and make sure you tell your inspector, sometimes the side effects don't appear until later. If he starts to vomit a lot, is confused, or suddenly becomes tired and can't move, get him to the hospital asap." He pointed at Takagi's arm, "That bruise is going to hurt a while. Bruised bones tend to but it will be fine given time."

Takagi and Shiratori thanked him for his attention as the paramedic and his partner cleaned up their gear and headed back to a waiting ambulance. The suspect who attacked them sat in the back of the only patrol car left. The other patrol cars were already long gone with the wanna be singers who started the whole mess.

First, they had been called out to handle to questioning to a karaoke party gone violent and one of the former guests took offense at it. Until that day, Takagi had no idea that a microphone made such a good blunt instrument. And Shiratori could attest to the affects of receiving a microphone to the head.

Shiratori gingerly touched his head and winced at the slight pressure. "I cannot say I was expecting that. Ah, well, maybe Miwako-san will fawn over my injury," he said with a sly glance at Takagi.

Takagi twitched, "You're forgetting she's on day shift for the next couple of days."

"Oh, and you know this?" Shiratori said drawly causing Takagi to blush. "Perhaps I'll have to catch her at the end of her shift tomorrow and invite her out on a favorable day?"

Silently, Takagi found himself wishing (quite uncharitably) that Shiratori would have required a short stay in the hospital. "But hasn't she turned down your previous dinner offers?" he asked, knowing that was a sore spot with the assistant inspector. Shiratori twitched and appeared at a loss for words.

"Excuse me, sir?" someone said to Takagi. He turned an noticed it was one of the uniformed officers. "Should we take the suspect in now?"

Takagi nodded, "And please make sure to attach assault on an officer to his list of charges. Two of them," he added as a slight jolt made his arm ache abdominally. "I'll send the paperwork to the lockup when we get back." The uniformed officer saluted and went to his patrol car, where his partner was waiting for him. Takagi felt disgusted as he could see the person who attacked Shiratori and himself snoring away. _I hope he has a hangover_, he found himself thinking.

A rustle of fabric brought his attention back. "Shiratori-san," Takagi said, drawing Shiratori's attention away from the departing cruiser, "I can finish up with questioning the remaining people if you want to rest here or go back to headquarters with one of the patrol cars."

Shiratori thought about it for a moment. "I think I'll accompany you. But I'll leave you to do all the questioning." He smirked, "Besides, aren't you supposed to keep an eye on me?"

Takagi gave a sheepish laugh, "I forgot."

They walked over to the few people remaining to be interviewed. Those interviews progressed slowly because the last people left were the most drunk (it would have been funny to watch if they had not been the ones conducting the interview) and Takagi stopped frequently to check on Shiratori to make sure he was fine.

After they finished and were on the road back, Takagi noticed that Shiratori rubbing his forehead. "Are you all right, Shiratori-san?"

"Just a headache," he replied, still rubbing his head.

Takagi frowned, turning his attention back to driving. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

"It isn't that bad. It's just a minor headache," he said. A few seconds passed before he asked, "Do you have any pain medicine?"

"Under the seat," Takagi said, nodding his head in the direction of the passenger seat. "There should be some aspirin in a first aid kit."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Then, Takagi said, "Doctor's excuse to get off work tomorrow?"

Takagi suppressed a laugh at Shiratori's groan at the very childish reference (leading Takagi to believe he had used that one a few times as a child to get out of school). Though, he felt obliged to point out that he may be forced to take the next couple days off. "The inspector will probably force you to take tonight off. Possibly tomorrow. Head injuries can be troublesome and I know you have people at home to keep an eye on you."

"You may be correct about that," Shiratori said. He sighed, "I suppose I can ask Miwako-san after I get back." He did not miss Takagi's twitch at the comment. "Oh, I suppose you have plans."

Takagi wanted to flinch under the measuring (and threatening) look Shiratori threw at him. "Ah... I have plans but who knows what Mi-Sato-san's plans are?"

Shiratori merely 'hmm'ed and they sat in silence until they arrived back at the station. At the station, the inspector in charge of the night shift immediately cornered Shiratori and took him to the small nurse's office to have him checked out again... leaving Takagi to do all the paperwork that night.

Resigned, he went back to his desk to start on the paperwork for the latest call. His one (exceedingly encouraging) thought was that he could give Miwako her gifts the next day.


	16. Day 17

Root for me, I'm going to try to post more than one chapter a week.

* * *

Day 17: Red

The silence in the file room weighed heavily on its lone occupant. He sat at a table worn smooth from thousands of papers shuffled across it over the decades. In one corner, a single computer sat on, waiting for new information to be added to it. The minutes passed quietly with only the sound of paper being moved around breaking it.

Takagi glanced nervously at the clock ticking away on the wall. His only company, at present, lay on the pages and in the photos of the Ogura case. Looking at this case ranked quite low on the list of things he wanted to do any normal day but it ranked even lower now that it was Christmas. Still, it needed to be done and it was a good way to kill time.

One thought in particular brightened his mood and made working on the case more tolerable, _Miwako-san will be here soon! It's worth coming in early to try to finish up this case and its details._

The thought of seeing her compelled him to work through the pile of papers with renewed vigor. After twenty minutes of sorting, he found he could now place the papers, notes and photos in the appropriate spots. He jumped and nearly fell from his chair when he felt something touch his shoulder. "Ack!" he exclaimed. Turning around allowed him to witness Sato doubled-over, red-faced with suppressed laughter. A moment more passed before she could not contain it any longer and it burst out, echoing in the empty room.

A few minutes passed before she could compose herself enough to look at him without laughing. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't think you were working that intently. I swore you heard me call your name." She poked him in the shoulder, "you even grunted in response."

Takagi turned a bright red. "I, um, was kind of focused on a case," he laughed with embarrassment. Sato began to laugh again but calmed down much sooner than before.

She pulled up a chair next to his and glanced at the Ogura case and shook her head sadly. "I have to wonder why you called me out to meet you here, especially in such an unusually formal way. I don't think you want to talk about this case since is it basically wrapped up."

"That's not what I wanted to talk with you about," he said as he pushed the case files away from himself and reached under the table. Sato started at his sudden movement but could not help but look on curiously. "I really didn't want to make anyone suspicious and it seemed like the best way."

From the box he originally carried all the Ogura case files in, he pulled out the pretty gift bag with all the gifts he bought for her. "I wanted to give you this today." He handed her the bag with a simple, "Merry Christmas, Miwako-san."

For a moment, she could not say anything. With a shy smile, she took the gift, "Thank you." Her grin grew teasing, "Am I supposed to open it now, Wataru-kun?"

He rubbed his head, embarrassed, "If you want to." She grinned at his shy response and turned he attention to the gift bag.

Takagi watched anxiously as she untied the ribbons and opened it up. An unusually shy smile graced her face as she looked over each gift. It grew larger as she pulled out each part of the present.

The presents lay spread out on the table and silence descended on the pair, for Takagi found he was a loss for words. Abruptly, he began to look for the dinner invite. It was the one thing he had not put in the bag.

His abrupt motion startled Sato and made her look at him curiously. "Wataru-kun," Sato began but trailed off as she watched Takagi rummaging around his pockets and box for something.

With a sigh of relief, he pulled out the dinner invitation, "Um, Miwako-san, would you like to go to dinner with me sometime?" He began to babble, "It's not a really fancy place but its nicer than the average place and has really good food-" He was cut off from further speech by a gentle kiss.

"I'd love to go out to dinner with you," she said, a big grin cutting across her face. "I don't suppose you have a date picked out?"

Takagi shook his head, "I wanted to find out when would be convenient. With our schedules the way they are now, that might be tricky."

"We'll figure something out," she said.

They jumped apart at the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall, coming closer and closer. Together they breathed a sigh of relief when they passed on down the hall without stopping or slowing down.

The spell broken, she gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. He returned the hug but chickened out on returning the peck (it had all gone so well, why take a chance in messing it up at this point?). "I'll see you later," she said, slipping out of the room, the gift bag swinging from one hand. At that moment, he realized that she carried her purse in the other hand. It warmed him to know that she planned on making him the last stop of the day and he felt a little relieved, too. The other officers were less likely to see the gifts and wonder who they came from.

Takagi stared at the vacant doorway for a moment longer before turning back to his paperwork with a resigned sigh. It remained for him to input the case into the police database. He could not recall doing it sooner, which basically meant that he would be working on that most of the night.

Despite the gravity and the amount of the work, his spirits were buoyed by seeing Sato and her joy in receiving the gifts from him.


	17. Day 18

A hot cup of coffee made its way into Takagi's cold but willing hands. He eagerly sipped at it, trying not to burn his lips.

The change from just before his shift began to now was dramatic. First, he gave Sato her gifts and now, he found himself standing ankle deep in snow at three am by a cold corpse.

He spent a moment contemplating his coffee. He was going to need _a lot_ more coffee to get through the shift. And some aspirin. The chill made his bruised arm ache abominably.

Still, considering the situation of the dead man, he was in a lot better shape. Now that the crime scene had been picked over for evidence, he walked over to get a good look at the corpse. For all that the man looked like a statue of a sleeping man carved from alabaster, the tell-tale blood frozen on his side and staining the snow said otherwise.

The murder weapon was now stashed in an evidence bag. It was found lying on the ground next to the deceased. The snow around the victim was trampled from different people who walked up to the body to look at it. The footprints had all been photographed even though there was a strong possibility that they had been left by other people.

And there was the concern of the lack of a wallet. If it had been stolen, that could mean robbery was the reason for the murder. Still, it might be on the body somewhere. The frozen blood made it difficult to check the right side of the victim.

Shiratori stood off to the side, talking with the first officer on the scene and his partner who had just finished checking all the local bars with a photo of the dead man.

He walked over to Takagi with some people from the medical examiners office. They wheeled a gurney with a body bag on it.

The watched, shivering, as the body was carefully placed in the body bag. The blood stained snow stood out even more starkly now that it was not hidden by a body. On the snow, under where the man laid before, was an envelope and a partially used pack of cigarettes.

Takagi waved on over an investigator with a camera and had him photograph the envelope and cigarettes before picking them. First, he opened the envelope, looked it over and handed it to Shiratori. Shiratori's eyes went straight up.

"That's a lot of money," he said, counting the amount, putting it in an evidence bag and labeling the bag. "The victim might have carried around cash and no wallet," Shiratori said as he also told Takagi the amount in the envelope and they both put the information in their notebooks. Takagi noted the brand of the cigarettes and how many remained before putting it in an evidence bag.

"I suppose that's possible...," Takagi said, a little doubt in his voice. "Only, what is it doing _under _the body like that. And it looks like the body was moved before it went into rigor."

Shiratori said, "That is puzzling." A moment of silence passed before he sneezed and gave an undignified sniff, "Please give these over to be logged, I'm going to go wait in the car."

"Yes, sir," Takagi said, feeling a little sympathy for Shiratori. It seemed that his superior was coming down with a head cold on top of his head injury.

It was a miserable night under any circumstance. There were too many questions and not enough clues to answer them. And Takagi could not fault anyone for not wanting to stay around any longer than they needed to. It seemed that the whole town was bundled away to keep warm. That was the only way he could explain the silence, the lack of people moving around town.

Not that he blamed them. It was too late, or too early depending on the point of view, and cold. There was not much they could do at this hour. Takagi sighed. The day shift would start looking for witnesses but considering the hour of the murder, _he _would be the one out tomorrow night interviewing witnesses.


	18. Day 19

Takagi flipped over the report of the autopsy from the corpse from the night before. The medical examiner concluded that the knife entered through the side and was thrust upward, puncturing the liver. Death had come quickly to the victim. Even if he had been taken to a hospital, his chances would not have been good.

Another report identified the victim as Takumi Uchida. Uchida's wallet was untouched (found in the right pants pocket, saturated with, now dried, blood) and it contained the better part of the paycheck he had cashed hours earlier. The missing amount could be accounted for by a visit to a nearby bar. His drinking buddies had last seen him around 11 pm when they all split up for the night with promises to meet the next day for a full blown, end-of-the-week binge.  
There still was the question of the money in the envelope. Did it mean anything? Who did it belong to?

Takagi rubbed his head. The attack and murder of Uchida was deliberate. He was glad that one of the day shift detectives had done the initial questioning but now that he had more on the background of Uchida's friends, he needed to do a more in depth interview.

One of them, a Ryuu Itou once had been a member of the self-defense force in one of the elite units. The bartender reported that Itou had quarreled with Uchida before they all left the bar.

_There is no chance of going alone to talk to this guy,_ he told himself as he looked over the report from the self-defense force. _This guy would make mince-meat of me in five minutes!_

Takagi looked around for someone that could accompany him, since Shiratori had been ordered to stay home until he felt better.

A good number of the officers present liked the night shift, and consequently, were never assigned to the day shift. He was not sure how to approach any of them.

The urge to smack himself was overwhelming, _Good grief! I'm acting like I'm back in elementary school and don't know how to say 'hi' to my new classmates!_

_

* * *

_

Takagi glanced out of the corner of his eye at his temporary partner, Yamazaki. He was easily the largest man in all of the division. In the past, he scared a great many suspects simply by standing behind him and looming. In fact, that was way he had been reassigned to the night shift on a near permanent basis. His very presence cut down on problems from drunk and combative suspects and witnesses.

In spite of this, Yamazaki was a quiet man. No one knew much about him, he kept to himself but always seemed to be around when he was needed. Takagi had a good feeling that Yamazaki was the man to ask to back him up that night.. Before he could approach another officer to ask for backup, Yamazaki approached him and offered his assistance.

They pulled up to the bar that Uchida and his friends had been at the previous night. From outside, they could hear very drunken singing. When they opened the door, their ears were assailed with much off tune, yet enthusiastic, singing.

The bartender noticed their entrance and waved them on over. "Good thing you called before," he yelled above the singing. "I was able to get them to stay for a free beer." He waved to an alcove that was partially sheltered from the noise. "Talk back there. It's a lot better than in back 'cause the heat's out and its too cold outside."

Takagi nodded his thanks and headed to the clearly plastered group singing in the corner. "Itou-san?" Takagi said, trying to get the attention of the largest man. "I'm Detective Takagi and this is Detective Yamazaki. Can you please step over here," he said, nodding towards the alcove.

"Shuuure," Itou said, grabbing his beer and standing unsteadily.

Yamazaki smiled as Itou made his way (quite unsteadily) to the alcove. "Whada need, 'tectives?" he asked. "I'll help you however *hick* I can. Gotta do it for my buddy. See... we're celebratin' 'im tonight," he said, waving a hand back towards the room.

After many false starts and tangents, they finally asked him how he got home the previous night. When the detective from the day shift asked him, he said that he took a taxi but could not find proof.

Itou dug around his pocket a moment and came up with a receipt. "I couldn't remember where I'd put this earlier," he handed it to Takagi. It was a receipt for a taxi ride. The fare was consistent with a trip to his home and there was a cab number on it. "Hope that helps. I hope you guys catch the bastard that killed Uchida. He was real good about things, good will loans and stuff like that." They could hear him be called back by his friends. "Need anything else, 'tectives?" he asked.

"Loans?" asked Takagi.

"Yep, if you're in a pinch for a bit of money until the next paycheck, he'd help you out. Even was *hick* real good about letting you pay 'im back when you could." He waved over in the general direction of the table where the rest of his group were sending off their friend. "Ol' Kenji o'er there just paid back all he owed last week. Rough spot w' the family." He squinted. "Oh, yeah, he's not here tonight. I remember now. Kid has been sick last couple of days. Been going home straight after work."

Takagi looked at Yamazaki. The tall man made note of it. _That'll be easy enough to check out_, thought Takagi.

The next few minutes were spent collecting the contact information of 'Kenji' and anyone who had borrowed money lately from the victim and clarifying a few points that one of the day shift detectives had wanted to know.

Itou kept throwing glances back at his friends. There was a new pitcher of beer on the table and he clearly wanted to share in it. "Anything else, 'tectives?" he asked.

"No. Thank you for your time, Itou-san," Takagi said.

Takagi and Yamazaki departed the bar and were almost shocked by the silence. "Well, it looks like we don't have any clear suspects at this time," Takagi said, feeling disgusted.

"At least we know he has loyal friends," Yamazaki said suddenly causing Takagi to jump. Yamazaki hardly said anything the whole time. "Perhaps one of his money lending deals didn't work out?" he suggested.

Takagi thought about it a moment. "That's what I was thinking. Unfortunately, it'll have to wait," he said. "It's too late to visit any of his co-workers," he said, looking at his scribbled notes.

Yamazaki nodded in agreement.

"I'll get my notes copied and delivered to you," Takagi said, "After my day off tomorrow, I'm back on day shift. If you or no one on the day shift tomorrow haven't gotten in contact with any of these people, I'll check up on them when I'm back on."

Yamazaki nodded. He rumbled, "I'll also get my notes copied." He blushed, "I'll have them typed up. My handwriting is terrible."

They hoped into Takagi's car and headed back while discussing the case. Hopefully some information would come up soon. It was a simply fact that most murdered people knew their murderer.


	19. Day 20

Sunlight streamed through a crack in the blinds and right into Takagi's eyes. He groaned and rolled over. Opening one eye, he could see the time was just before 10 am. It was too early to get up. He snuggled under the sheets and tried to drift back off.

A few minutes later he sat up, knowing he was not going to go back to sleep anytime soon. The realm of sleep eluded him. The four or so hours of sleep since he got back from work left him feeling just rested enough not to go back to sleep but not enough time to feel restored. He staggered into the kitchen, hoping that he could catch a nap in the afternoon. If the nap did not work out, it was going to be a very long and miserable day. That was not the way he wanted to spend his day off. Especially since he was trying to shift his internal clock back to day shift.

_Stupid scheduling does this when too many people take time off during night shift. _He recalled hearing the same complaint from the night shift officers. That and the amount of work the day shift held. _Which is why they are on night shift,_ he thought. There were a few really good detectives on the night shift but too many were the lazy kind.

Takagi knew he was not the only one to dislike the occasional night shift. The night shifts messed up the internal clock. The day off following a couple of days on the night shift simply made it worse.

A strong cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal later, Takagi felt like he could actually take on the day... for a few hours anyway. Wearily, he flipped through the newspaper and landed on an article about the Uchida murder. He was not surprised to see that there was a call for any information.

He reflected back on the interview. The guy actually was a pretty decent fellow. Still, there had been no telling what might have happened.

He eyed the case file sitting on the table. Takagi wondered if the man simply died in a botched robbery attempt. Maybe the robber had been scared by how fast Uchida bled out? Too scared to take anything? _It's a possibility_, he thought, digging his notebook out from the pile and scribbling the thought down before he forgot.

For a few minutes more, he plied the paper before dragging himself out of the chair and to his bedroom.

Cautiously, he eyed the sizable laundry pile next to the small bathroom. It was beginning to smell ripe and he thought he saw it move for a moment. Laughing at himself, he sorted the clothes into two pile, one for dry cleaning, the other for the laundromat.

He froze when he recognized the smell coming from one suit and a shirt. He skipped into the bathroom and stayed close to the toilet a few minutes until the nausea passed. No wonder everyone at the bullpen had stayed away from them when they came back from Ogura's apartment.

It brought back memories not of Ogura's case but of the first murder victim he ever saw. That one had been bad, too. The eviscerated corpse had been found days after death. Which was why Takagi completely sympathized with Tsutsumi and his reaction.

Reluctantly, he returned to sorting the laundry, making a point to put the offending articles in a plastic bag. Perhaps the laundromat could save them? He could not really afford to buy another suit any time soon.

Even with the clothing in the sack, he swore he could still smell them. The smell might now only be a memory of that day but it brought back another memory, the memory of the first case he was assigned to. That body had also been badly decomposed and the officer in charge had been sympathetic when Takagi clearly was going to be ill and sent him to another room to recover.

What he learned at the Academy and from the experienced officers was that a person never forgot the first case. And that sometimes it would only take one thing to bring that case back to the forefront of the mind.

"Get your mind back on track!" he snapped to himself, shaking his head. His energies focused back on sorting the laundy.

As he threw a jacket into the 'dry clean' pile, something fell out of one of the pockets and fluttered through the air to land under the bed. Takagi growled a little and kneeled down, reaching under. After he came up with a handful of dust bunnies, he decided to take a look before he felt around.

He cringed at the sight under the bed. It was a dust bunny breeding ground. H squinted. _What is that?_ he wondered. Bravely, he reached under and pulled out something. A moment passed before he could identify that he was now holding a pair of dust covered socks. _How did those end up there?_

He threw the socks into the 'to be washed' pile. Even if he had not worn them, there was no way he was going to wear a pair of fuzzy socks.

It took him a few more moments to locate what fell under the bed. He pulled it out and wiped it off. It was the wedding photo. Takagi stared at it, trying to figure out how it got into his clothes.

The memory of a tired day flashed through his mind and he remembered. It had fallen off of Miwako's desk when he bumped into it and he had put it into his pocket rather than leave it in the open on her desk.

A grin lit his face as he looked at it. _I still need to return it to her. Hey! I have an idea. I'll get a copy made for myself! _"That'll be easy enough to do while everything is getting cleaned," he said, finishing the sorting with an easy heart.


	20. Day 21

"Chiba-kun! Takagi-kun!" bellowed Megure, causing the duo to jump. "I know you've got cases your working on but hand them off. A possible murder was just reported," an ironic tone slipped into his voice, "by Conan-kun and Professor Agasa."

Takagi quietly groaned as he piled all the notes and reports for the Uchida murder into a neat stack. He scribbled a note out for Tsutsumi, who had been saddled with the case, and followed Chiba out of the office.

They drove to the scene in Chiba's car. The wind was unusually strong, buffeting the car as they drove to the site. Patrol cars blocked half of the bridge, leaving only two lanes open. Uniformed officers directed traffic through the remaining two lanes.

Chiba flashed his badge and they were allowed to drive the car into the blocked off lanes. The pair stepped out of the cars and were instantly hit by a blast of freezing wind. Carefully, they made their way over to the scene where a uniformed officer showed them the scene and where the person had reportedly fell in the river.

Takagi winced as he looked down at the water. It had to be freezing. Anyone who fell in was not likely to still be alive. The frigid water would quickly numb the body and the person would drown. And even if he could reach the banks, he would be more likely to be trapped under the ice lining the banks than climb over it.

The chilling wind quickly drove them into the building the police had commendered to use for immediate questioning. Inside, among all the unfamiliar faces, were the two faces that too many cops knew all too well.

"Hi, Takagi-keiji! Chiba-keiji!" Conan said, waving at the two detectives. A couple of the witnesses in the area looked at Conan and the detectives. The uniformed officer escorting them, directed the detectives to a back room where the suspect was being held.

"We'll get to him a bit," said Chiba. "I want to know what everyone here saw first."

They split up, questioning the witnesses. Some were pushy and tried to interject what they saw though they were not being questioned. Still, Takagi and Chiba managed to work their way through the group before meeting back up to compare notes.

"Well," Takagi said, "It looks like everyone basically saw the victim...," he took a moment to look back at his notes, "Chikafuji-san was pushed over the bridge by Takeuchi-san after arguing over something."

"I don't know about that!" said a voice behind them. Turning, they saw Agasa flanked by Conan. "There is something about this case that does not add up."

Takagi and Chiba looked down at Conan. "What do you mean, Conan-kun?" asked Chiba.

"Well, Professor Agasa and me saw that they had an argument. But it was the person that died who was really upset. The professor stopped Chikafuji-san from hitting Takeuchi-san. Right, Professor?" said Conan, turning the the portly older man.

He looked a little surprised to have the query directed at himself. "A-ah, that's correct. When they were leaving a shop, the deceased was the person that was really upset. I believe he said, 'I will get back at you!' but that was after I stopped him from hitting the other man. I'm not sure what their argument was about."

He thought about it a moment and added, "Takeuchi-san... he did not seem really bothered."

Conan added, "He was muttering to himself that Chikafuji-san said that a lot but never carried through." Agasa nodded in agreement.

"And I've been listening to the witnesses. They say that Chikafuji-san was pushed at an odd angle," Conan added.

Agasa twitched, as if he had just been kicked, "A-ah. And I've been watching Takeuchi-san. He doesn't move right."

Takagi and Chiba shared a look. "What do you mean by 'not right'?" asked Chiba.

"His arms!" piped Conan. "He can't lift them very well at all."

Agasa twitched again, "If you'll bring him outside, we can try a little demonstration. I think you might be surprised." Takagi notice that he followed Conan outside. In fact, Agasa seemed to be taking the lead from Conan. Narrowing his eyes, Takagi left Chiba to get Takeuchi and set off after the odd pair. While he had been stuck in that elevator with Conan, there were times that he had to dismiss Conan's thinking because it was too unbelievable. _Unless I am really watching him..._, thought Takagi. _Then I can see that I did not imagine it. _Who_ is he? Or should I be asking _what_ is he?_ He shook off the thought. But his suspicion would not go away. Not with those looks that Conan was throwing back at him.

He barely managed to refrain from jumping when Chiba rested a hand on his shoulder. "You all right?" he asked, the question barely above the wind.

Takagi nodded slowly, "I was just thinking of something." They ducked under the police tape and move to the spot that Chikafuji had fallen from.

Agasa said, "I believe that Chikafuji was standing right her according to the witnesses." He nodded to Takeuchi, "Would you please stand where you were when he fell?"

"No problem," the suspect said, moving to stand next to Agasa.

"Would you please put your arms up in a manner as if to push me?" Agasa asked, looking a little uncomfortable with the request.

Takeuchi shrugged, "I can try but I don't think I can." He raised his arms and placed them on Agasa's belly.

Chiba raised an eyebrow. "Can't you go higher than that?"

Takeuchi shook his head, "Nope. I was in an accident as a child and didn't get treatment in time. Ended up robbing me of upper body strength and the ability to lift my arms." He sounded downcast, "It has caused a lot of problems and embarrassment in my life." He cast an eye at the two officers, "You can talk to my doctor about it. He'll tell you it has only gotten worse with age. I can either lift them higher or I can have them at this height to have actual strength. I can't do more than this without pain."

Then Agasa began to explain how it must have happened.

Takagi stared at Agasa. He sounded like he was speaking into a microphone or something like that because it almost sounded like he was hearing wind blowing over microphone (or when a person breathed on one). And it looked like his lips did not quite sync with what he was saying. It was a little difficult to tell with his bushy mustache but...

He jumped when Chiba poked him. "Pay attention, Takagi!" Chiba whispered over the wind. "I'm having a hard time hearing what he is saying over the wind."

Takagi quickly focused his attention back to _what_ Agasa was actually saying, rather than watching him. But the feeling that something was not quite right did not go away.

"And, so, that was how the so-called victim actually staged his suicide to look like a death as revenge against Chikafuji-san."

"That's rather irrational," said Chiba.

"He wasn't a very rational man," rumbled Takeuchi. "I've known him for years and he does, did things to get back at people even if the revenge was to his own detriment. I recommend talking to his last employer."

Takagi lightly shook his head, "Well, have to clear your... disability with your doctor first before we can let you go. But we'll go down to the station for questioning while the information is checked out. It is warmer and quieter there."

Takeuchi gave him a wane smile, "I guess that'll work."

Chiba walked him back to the car while Takagi turned to Agasa and Conan. "Can you two come down and give a statement directly? It would be good to have it recorded."

Agasa shrugged, "Not a problem." He looked at Conan.

Conan looked troubled, "I have to get back home. Ran-neechan is expecting me." He looked up at Takagi with big eyes, "Can I do it some other time?"

"Sure," Takagi said before he realized what he was saying.

Agasa piped up, "I had better make sure he gets home okay. It's too cold to let him go by himself." Conan shot him a glare that unsettled Takagi. "I'll come by later."

"Okay," Takagi said, allowing the two to leave. Letting them go was not an issue. Just about everyone in the department knew where they lived by now.


	21. Day 22

Day 22

* * *

Takagi walked to the number four observation room that overlooked the interview room for suspects and witnesses. He looked over the file containing the Uchida death. A few minutes earlier, he was summoned to the interview room. According the message, there was a man in there that had information regarding the murder.

Takagi took the time to go to the observation room to get a good look at the man. He was fairly nondescript. His clothing was cared for but not new and he looked like he had a passing acquaintance with grooming. But his posture seemed to indicate that there was a weight on his shoulders. He looked run down and tired. He sat still at the table, staring blankly down at its surface. He threw one glance at the door to the room before turning his gaze back to the table. He kept up this for a few minutes.

Chiba spoke up, startling Takagi who had not heard him come in, "All he's given so far is his name and that he knows something about the death a couple of nights back. And since there was only one death a couple of nights ago, he's all yours."

Takagi frowned at Chiba whom, in his opinion, was way too happy about the interview being his job. "What's his name?"

"Asai Takeo-san," Chiba said with a shrug. "You going to let him stew a little longer? He doesn't look like he's doing too well right now."

Takagi shook his head, "No, I just wanted to know who I would be dealing with." A moment later, he left the observation room and walked around to the door of the interview room. He knocked to let the man know he was coming in before opening the door. "I apologize for the wait-," he began but was interrupted.

"I didn't mean to," the man said, completely crestfallen as he looked at the table. "It just kind of happened. I wanted a favor and he said he didn't do favors unless it was a loan. But I really needed a favor."

Takagi blinked and sat down across from the man. "Excuse me, Asai-san, but could you start from the beginning?"

"Uchida-san, well, I knew he lent money to people. I was hoping that he'd help me out. I needed someone to co-sign some papers. I don't have no family left and not many friends. No people to turn to. I could not afford to have sign a contract by myself. But Uchida-san had a good rep which counts for more than a lot of things. I thought he'd be willing to co-sign." He paused a moment, "I know I should probably have somebody like a lawyer around but I gotta come clean now. I can't wait any longer."

Takagi stared at them man a moment. The verbal torrent, and unquestioned for, confession railroaded him a moment. "We can get a lawyer in here now, if you wish." Asai looked up enough to meet Takagi's eyes, "It might be the best if you did."

Asai shrugged, "Doesn't really matter anymore. I just wanted to get that off my chest before I killed myself."

Takagi shot right up and moved around the table. He could see that Asai held something in one hand. It looked like a shard of glass. _How is he holding it without cutting his hand?_ passed through Takagi's mind before he moved to disarm Asai. He could hear the door to the room crash open as Chiba burst in to help Takagi.

"Stop!" Takagi yelled, causing the struggling man to freeze briefly. Chiba wrestled the glass knife from his hands at that moment before he began to thrash around again.

The two officers could hear him saying, "I have to atone with my life. Let me end it now."

Their eyes met briefly, a flash of sympathy passed between them. The man was truly repentant for what he had done, even if it had taken a few days to fess up to his crime. But it was not their place to let him kill himself now that he was in interrogation. Even if they were not at fault, they would still be held responsible for the man's death.

After what seemed like an eternity, a couple more officers showed up to help Takagi and Chiba with the man. He had ceased to struggle and simply stared blankly off into space. He was picked up and taken to lock-up.

Takagi caught one of the officers before he walked off with the prisoner, "He's suicidal. Keep anything that he might use to kill himself out of the cell." He nodded to Chiba who was bagging the now broken glass knife, "He just tried to kill himself. I think he will try again."

The other officer nodded and jogged to catch up with the group that was walking off with their prisoner.

Takagi and Chiba both jump when Megure burst into the room (despite the door still being open), "What happened here?!" he demanded.

They winced at the volume of his voice. "He- I mean Asai-san confessed to killing Uchida. Then he tried to kill himself," Takagi said.

Chiba held up the bag he had collected the glass knife in. "He tried to kill himself with this. It's glass, so, unless he had been patted down going through security, it was easy to get through."

Megure took the bag and looked at it. Takagi finally got a good look at the knife. It was crudely made with edges rather jagged and the base of it had been wrapped with a rag to create a handle of sorts. Takagi winced a little, _It looks like it would have broken off while he would be...urp, cutting. Talk about a bloody mess._

Takagi shook his head, "He went off so fast. He came right out with his confession and then tried to kill himself."

"He's right, Inspector," Chiba added, "I barely got the recording equipment up and running before he started. He didn't attack Takagi-kun or myself at all. He just struggled to kill himself."

Takagi blinked. He swore that he just heard the inspector groan. And he _did _hear him mutter, "Not more paperwork."

He looked at Takagi and Chiba, "Okay, I want you to get a quick report made up. The superintendent _is _going to want a report about this. Have it on my desk in an hour."

Megure walked off shaking his head. Takagi and Chiba stared for a moment. "Is something wrong with the inspector?" Takagi asked.

Chiba shrugged, "Not sure. I think he just needs a vacation."

Takagi nodded. "Guess we had better gets those reports in order. I don't want to have to deliver it in person."

"No kidding," agreed Chiba, empathically.


	22. Day 23

Day 23

* * *

_Dammit!_ thought Takagi as he turned into the spin, stopping it before it really started. The driver in front of him had done the same thing and he could see the driver behind him doing the exact same thing. Driving slower now, he looked around and could see that there were a lot of those tire marks on the snow packed road. _That's a bad hazard. Better stop by the koban on the corner. They can get someone out here to direct traffic, otherwise, it is only a matter of time until there is an accident._

Squealing tires behind him caused him to cringe. One second passed, then another before he let out a sigh of relief. That was one accident that had not occurred. The day was shaping up to be a bad New Year's Eve. He sincerely hoped the next day would be a good one. If anything really serious were to happen, his day off might be canceled.

The snow had started early in the morning and rapidly accumulated on the roads. It proved to be a very wet snow that soon compacted and turned to ice.

The news reported many accidents and kept asking people to take public transit instead of driving or, barring that, wait to drive into work until road crews could clear them major roads.

Takagi did not have that option. He left early to allow for slower driving (his own included) and the inevitable traffic jams because of accidents.

The koban did not seem to appear soon enough for him. He pulled over and ran inside to tell them about the very hazardous conditions right around the corner.

The officers in the koban did not look too well. Though they did their work, Takagi could tell they were tired from all the traffic problems. The fresher faces in the room looked like they had just come on duty.

Takagi homed in on one of them. Tired officers make mistakes and he did not want anyone to get hurt.

----

With a sigh of relief, Takagi pulled into his parking spot and shut the engine off. Despite leaving early, the traffic and the stop at the koban had made him late. Not terribly so, if the number of empty spots in the garage was any indication. It appeared that a lot of people were late. Unless something big had happened. On a day like this one, Takagi would not be surprised.

The old saying 'when it rains, it pours' seemed to hold true in his life and seemed to be the case around work everyday. There might be weeks where nothing really happened and then hell would break loose.

He prayed that January would be delightfully boring with no murders, no kidnapping and no life or death situations. People who did not know him would laugh if they heard the last one. People who did would give him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and wish him luck, _good_ luck that is. He certainly did not wish to get caught in anything like what happened at the Tokyo Tower again.

Takagi frowned slightly as he stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for his floor. The mystery of Conan would come back around at the oddest of times. _Mostly, I don't want to remember being stuck in an elevator with a bomb on top of it. I much rather remember what nearly happened afterward. _

The elevator reached his floor and he stepped off. _Who is Conan-kun?_ he wondered. In a minute he arrived at the bullpen and opened the door. He said his greetings to the officers in the area and headed for his desk.

A slight groan escaped from Takagi's lips as he saw his desk driving all musings of a mystery he did not understand from his mind and focusing it back on the present. There were more papers sitting on it now that when he left the day before. And then there was the paperwork he was sure he was going to have to fill out for stopping by the koban and telling them about the hazardous intersection.

Would the day quit showering white? First snow, now paperwork.

"Have fun, Takagi," a voice said, drifting in from somewhere in the room. Takagi threw a look around but could not identify where the voice came from. Whoever it was was hiding among the other officers. A few of them snickered at the comment and one or two threw an amused look his way.

One of the new stacks, Takagi was not surprised to see, dealt with the the attempted suicide the day before. Looking over them, he was relieved to see that the forms basically required him to read them and sign off on the list of events. _I don't understand how they can insist on what I figure happened when there is a recording._ _Then again, sometime the equipment doesn't work properly, okay, rarely, and they want verification. It still is annoying._

After a few minutes of trying to read through one report and then another, Takagi felt like pulling at his hair. Somehow everything had ended up mixed up. Resigned, he sorted each of the cases, ranging from the sad Ogura case (which looked like it might not be going to trial because of questionable mental health) to the suicide made to look like a murder.

Takagi shook his head. _That Chikafuji was messed up to kill himself in a way to make it look like murder. I guess the only good, well, maybe good isn't the right word, thing was that he did not kill anyone but himself._

He scanned the copies of the reports Agasa and Conan filled out. He was not sure if he should be amused or worried at how good they both were at filling them out by now._ Maybe we need to induct them into the force_? he thought with a mental laugh. _Their reports are as good as mine, even... Conan-kun's..._

It was eerie how well written Conan's view on events was. If Takagi had not known that a child had written it, he might think that an adult or an intelligent teenager might have written it instead. But he had seen Conan fill out forms before and knew his handwriting. In fact, discounting the seemingly misused kanji, Conan had excellent writing. _It feels like a reflection of _who_ he really is. Just who he is, the question._

Laughter from across the room broke Takagi out of his train of thought. _I guess the 'Conan-kun Mystery' can wait. Some of this paperwork will not._

Reluctantly, he turned back to papers on his desk, saving his thoughts on Conan for another time.


	23. Day 24

Day 24

* * *

Takagi hummed happily to himself as he picked up around the apartment. The day had dawned bright and cheery. The temperature had risen well above freezing the day before and had not dropped below it over the night. The snow and ice were quickly being transformed into puddles of water and mud. By the end of the day, it might even be dry in some areas.

After all the chill, snow, and death of December, Takagi was happy with the way the new year was starting out.

One of the first things he did that morning was call his parents to wish them a happy new year. His mother gently teased him for the hastily scribbled generic new years greeting postcard. The she promptly teased him about blushing which made him blush even more. _She knows me too well_, he thought.

"I think your mother has said everything worth saying," he said. Takagi could hear his mother smack him on the arm. "Take care, son. Oh, and see if you can't pick up a nice girlfriend this year," he said. A moment passed and he added, "Your mother would like you to pick up a _wife_ this year."

Takagi sighed. His father chuckled, "At least she isn't as bad as some of the women here. She could set you up for a marriage match-up. She's mentioned it in passing once. I've learned that with women, if they mention something once, it means they have been thinking a lot about it." Takagi blanched a little at the suggestion. One, it brought back memories of what nearly happened before with Sato and Shiratori. Two, he did not want to marry any woman but Sato.

His father continued, completely unaware that he nearly gave his son a heart attack, "So, the nagging isn't really so bad. Besides, there has to be some woman you're interested in."

There was a silence as his father waited for a response. "Um, yes...," Takagi mumbled into the phone.

His father chuckled, "Don't waste time, Wataru. Some things in life you can't let get away. Ah, your mother is nagging me. It's almost time to go to the temple. Take care."

"You take care, too, dad," Takagi said.

Takagi was happy he had called his parents. _I really don't call them enough, do I? _The comment of finding a girlfriend (or wife in his mother's case), made him blush all over again. _I bet they would like Miwako-san_.

After he got off the phone from his parents, he considered going to the nearby temple himself. "I'll do it later," he muttered as he looked around his apartment at the mess. "Cleaning would be a better start to the new year."

Which was why he was currently moving around his small apartment, straightening things up. Loose notes from an old case had made their home on one of the spare chairs in the kitchen. And the DVD he ejected from the player caused him to wince. It was a rental. "When did I check this out?" he asked himself. "I wonder if it would just be cheaper to say I lost it and will pay for it, rather than pay a late fine?" He blushed a little at the thought of lying like that. Besides, DVDs were not cheap. After a few minutes, he decided it would be more economical to simply return the overdue DVD. Putting it on the kitchen table, he went back to straightening up the area around the_. _There were a few DVDs he could not find the cases to. "Where _are_ they?" he asked himself, "It's not there is anyone around here to take them and they can't walk off."

After spending a few more minutes looking, and only finding one of the missing cases, he threw up his hands and moved onto the rest of the room.

_I'm really glad no one has come over. This place is a mess_, he thought. The thought of Miwako showing up and seeing the mess was enough to make him pick up even better than he normally would do. _Not that she is likely to show up. Chiba doesn't care one way or another. Probably because just about any place is clean than his place._

It was about lunchtime when the living room was cleaned up satisfactorily. He grabbed the overdue DVD and coat and headed out the door only to reenter a moment later. It took him another minute to locate his keys, wallet, and badge (just in case).

He laughed at his absentmindedness as he locked up and walked down to the rental store on the corner. _Better than the time I realized I forgot my keys and didn't remember until I got to my car. _His smile dropped away. _And it is better than the time I forgot my cuffs and Sato lent me her father's..._

He shook his head earning him a funny look from a person he walked past. _It is New Year's, I am going to think of positive things because I want to have a positive year. Even if it means paying a fine to get everything cleared up._

The clerk was polite but Takagi still felt like the man was staring at him after he left the shop. After a quick stop at a convenience store for lunch (with a quick promise to himself to go grocery shopping because beer did not make a good lunch), he returned to his apartment.

After another round of cleaning, this time the dust bunnies under the bed, he ran out to pick up some groceries. His refrigerator was not as bad as it had been before but it still was a bit on the bare side.

The sun had long set by the time he made it back to his apartment. Groceries were quickly unloaded and a quick meal, an omelet, started up on the stove.

Takagi took the omelet (with hot sauce) and made himself comfortable in front of the TV. He flipped through the channels, looking for an interesting movie.

He settled on a dubbed episode of _Walker, Texas Ranger_ when the doorbell rang. "Just a moment!" he said, getting up and trotting to the door. _I wonder who it it?_

He opened the door and all thoughts and questions flew out of his head. Sato stood on the doorstep, grinning up at him. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he found his voice. "Mi-Miwako-san!" _I hope my voice isn't as high as it feels like it has gone._ "Would you like to come in?"

"About time," she said, a smile belaying the snap in her voice. She stepped into the entrance and took off her shoes as Takagi moved out a pair of guest slippers. "Hmmm, someone has been cleaning," she said as she looked about.

"Well, it is New Year's," Takagi said, leading her to the small living room.

Sato made herself comfortable on the couch and looked at the TV. "Good choice. Can't go wrong with an action show."

Takagi agreed, "Yeah. Um, would you like something to eat or drink?"

"Something to drink would be nice. Got beer? If you don't, we could go out for a drink," she said after thinking about it a moment.

"I think so, let me check," Takagi said, walking into the kitchen. In the refrigerator was the beer he passed on for lunch. Grabbing two bottles, he walked back to the living room. Sato had tucked her legs underneath herself and propped herself on the armrest. A big grin and a delicate blush stretched across her face. "Beer and boyfriend! Just the things I need right now."

Takagi stumbled on the last part and nearly fell onto the couch. Sato laughed at him and grabbed one of his arms, pulling him down to sit on the couch next to her, snatching one of the beers in the process.

"Um, what brought that on?" Takagi asked once he finally remastered his voice.

"Long day, Yumi, and nagging mother. I did the only thing I could think of. I told mother I was going to be celebrating with Yumi and I told Yumi I had to go be with my mother." She took a deep breath and shifted to lean on him, causing him to blush. "It's been too busy lately and I just want to have a calm moment. We've hardly had a moment that has not been stolen for weeks."

Takagi found his arm sliding around her shoulders without a thought. "You can stay as long as you like."

She grinned at him and snuggled in. "I'm sure you didn't mean that the way most guys would."

He thought about that a moment and what he said. His deep blush caused Sato to laugh a little. He coughed, "I didn't mean it _that_ way."

He could feel her suppressed laughter. "Hey! Quit teasing!" he said.

"It's just too easy to tease you," she told him. "But, I'm glad I came over. I'm sorry for not bringing any gifts, though."

"It's okay, Miwako-san," Takagi said, "I'm happy you decided you wanted to be here."

She snuggled in closer as they watched the movie together. Occasionally, Takagi found he had to duck out of the way of her flying fists as she moved with Chuck Norris.

All in all, the new year was off to a good start.


	24. Day 25

Well, I don't normally thank individual readers but I want to thank master of toast and nataeiy1 for leaving just little comments. Even one or two comments keep me wanting to write. I like feeling that comes with knowing someone is looking forward to the next chapter. So, thank you.

* * *

Day 25

"What's going on?" Takagi asked himself as he pulled onto the street he lived on. A uniformed officer was directing traffic to a side street. He counted two patrol cars in front of his apartment complex and what looked like two detective's cars. _I think I know those cars..._, he thought. _I've probably passed by them in the parking garage at one point or another._

Traffic moved slowly as the officer had to stop and answer the questions of the drivers, _I'm not even going to stop to ask. I already know I'll have to go around unless I _want_ to get involved. _Quickly, he plotted an alternate route to his parking spot. _Unless I'm really unlucky today, I should be able to get there._

The patrol officer looked a little relieved to not have to explain to another driver that they would have to go around and why (not that he really knew, he just told those who asked the department approved response).

Circling around took longer than normal because all the traffic was redirected that way. Looping around, nearly going the wrong way on a one way street (he was glad no one he knew saw he almost do that), and a turn of dubious legality (which he did not think too hard about), Takagi arrived at the small parking garage for his apartment. The road road block set a little off of the entrance of the garage was being moved by a uniformed officer.

_Of course, just ten minutes and it has already been cleared up,_ Takagi thought. _Not that I could have known how far along the investigation would take without getting involved._

He looped around in the garage, working his way around to his parking spot. A small, heavily customized motorbike zipped past him, driving faster than he should have in the enclosed space. Takagi frowned. _I don't recognize that motorbike. Was he just visiting someone here? _

A moment later he arrived at his assigned parking spot. It was a tight spot, designed for a car smaller than his but it did guarantee parking for him when he came home at odd hours instead of trying to find parking on the street.

A chill hit him as he stepped out of the car. He scrunched further down in his comfortably worn coat and made a bee line for the entrance. The thought of snuggling under his heated blanket made him mover faster for the elevator than normal.

The elevator 'dinged' and opened, letting a wave of warm air sweep over him. Quickly, he moved into it and pushed the close button, then pushed the button his floor (no sense in wasting the warm air). Arriving at his floor, he stepped off into the chilly evening air. _I really wish I lived in an enclosed apartment,_ he thought. _But I can't afford it, _he finished with a sigh.

He was a few steps out of the elevator when he realized that there were a lot of people milling around. A lot of people in uniform and a few in suits. With a groan, he realized that whatever had happened, had happened _here_. On his floor. Hopefully not to his apartment.

"Who was watching the elevator?" snarled one of the officers. "He shouldn't have let anyone up!"

_He's right about that,_ thought Takagi. _I know he'll be the one to get chewed out for not securing a crime scene. It must have just happened right after I got off work._

"Someone get his statement and get me the name off the officer who was supposed to be watching the elevator," the officer snapped.

Takagi frowned. "There was not anyone at the elevator," he said, catching their attention. "And I know what sort of disciplinary action would be given for just leaving," Takagi stated holding out his own badge. "I just got done with my shift." He wanted to sigh at the stares he was getting. "I live just down there," he said, nodding further down the floor.

The other officer (whose name Takagi _still_ did not know) looked like he wanted to hit head on the wall. He appeared to collect himself before he turned to Takagi. "Fine. Did you notice anything?"

Takagi thought about it a moment and the motorbike flashed through his mind. "The was a man on a motorbike. He zipped past me in the garage. The bike had a really fancy paint job and chrome. And I _know_ I haven't seen that motorbike here before."

Another officer's radio squawked, "We found him sir! He was knocked out and dumped behind a car!"

"Dammit!" the officer snarled and ran past Takagi to the stairs. He was followed by two other officers, leaving the floor a lot emptier.

Takagi blinked and wondered if he should go after them but realized that he knew nothing of what was going on. Nor did any of them look very familiar, which meant they worked in a different division than his own. He looked at the remaining officers. "So, can I ask what happened?"

"Multiple burglaries. Suspect was reported to still be in the building last seen on this floor."

Takagi was almost hesitant to ask which apartments but he had to know.

"We're still trying to figure that out," the officer said. "A lot of people here don't lock their doors. Apparently they feel safe having a police officer living on the same floor." He laughed a little at Takagi's sigh. "Yeah, they forget burglars don't know always know that. Not to mention most people aren't home during the day."

"At this time? Maybe he forgot to keep an eye on the time?" Takagi suggested.

The officer shrugged. "Well, if your apartment is on the list of ones we have checked and wasn't burglarized, you can go in."

Takagi rattled off his apartment number._ I really, really hope mine didn't get hit. But knowing my luck... _The officer looked over his list. A moment later, he grinned at Takagi, "Looks like your place wasn't hit. Door was still locked and no evidence of entry."

Takagi let out his breath he did not know he was holding. "That's good news. I really don't need to fill out more paperwork than I already have," he hefted up his briefcase to indicate he had to take it home tonight.

The other officer winced. "That's why I want to stay patrol and in uniform. Less paperwork. Far less paperwork."

Takagi could understand that viewpoint. It was a given fact that the amount of paperwork increased with each promotion. Some officers simply felt that the trade for more pay was not worth it.

He walked down the hall to his apartment. He noticed that the knob had been dusted. _Not surprising. If the burglar did not wear gloves and he left prints elsewhere, his path could be tracked._

He unlocked the door and walked into the apartment. It was rather chilly, but not as bad as outside, since keeping the place heated while no one was home made no sense and would have driven up his bill to the unpayable range. Quickly, he plugged his electric blanket in and piled it onto the couch.

The next few minutes were spent throwing together a quick meal (of dubious nutritional value). When it was done warming up, he took it to the couch and curled up under the blanket with his supper. A moment later, he turned on the TV and located some mind numbing reality TV show.

_I can get to the paperwork in a bit. It isn't going to go anywhere,_ he thought. "At least there were no new cases to investigate today. Slow days are good days," he mused. _After all, if they are slow, that means that violence is down and less violence is always a good thing._


	25. Day 26

Day 26

It was around 10 in the morning and Takagi lazily flipped through the TV channels, searching for something of interest. All that seemed to be on was news, children's anime, soaps, and reruns of dramas. Unless it was a holiday, there never were any good movies on.

The ringing of the phone caused Takagi to leap up and go for the phone. Only to find that it was not where it should be. He dashed around the apartment, looking for the phone. On the ring before the answering machine would pick up, he found it under the couch hiding behind one of the legs.

"Hello?" he answered breathlessly, "Takagi speaking."

"'Morning! It's Chiba. Did I catch you at a bad time?" asked Chiba.

"Ah, no. I just couldn't find the phone." He muttered, "How did it get under the couch?"

"I know what that's like. A couple of days ago, I couldn't find the house phone and found it by using my cell phone to call it. I don't want to know how it got in the dirty clothes," Chiba said, absentmindedly.

_Ewww,_ thought Takagi. _I'd better make a point not to use his phone when I'm over there without wiping it down first._

"Ah ha ha, don't worry about the phone," Chiba added, "I wiped it down. I know I wouldn't want to use it after where I found it. I'm not _that_ much of a bachelor."

"I was a little worried about that..." Takagi said.

Then Chiba muttered, almost too quiet for Takagi to hear, "At least, I think I did. Better do it again to be safe." He cleared his throat, "Anyway, I was calling to see if we were still on for the movie this afternoon?"

Takagi looked at the clock. "Yeah. Do you want to hit some place to eat before or are we going to meet there like you suggested yesterday?"

Takagi could almost hear Chiba's sweatdrop. "I don't have the money for both right now. So, let's just meet at the theater."

"Yeah, payday is still a few days off, isn't it?" Takagi said. "Yeah, I'll see you there."

"Later."

"Bye," Takagi said, hanging the phone up. Chiba's comment about money made Takagi feel a little guilty. He had been eating out too often of late. Not to mention, there was probably food going bad in the fridge despite his trip to the grocery store a few days earlier.

Looking at the time, he decided that he could throw a lunch together just in time for lunch. _Mom would be happy to know I don't eat out for _every_ meal,_ chagrin colored his thoughts.

He dug through the refrigerator and found some food that was not spoiled but was close to it and some instant noodles. It took him a few minutes to chop up the stuff from the fridge, _some chicken,_ he thought, and some limp looking vegetables. Then he remembered that putting some water on to boil first would probably be the best idea.

The soup took longer to make than he liked but, eventually, he did succeed in making lunch. A quick look at the clock showed him that he had a few minutes to catch the bus if he wanted to take the bus. Quickly, he decided that, despite how long it would take, he did not want to deal with finding parking.

In a few minutes, he was out the door and headed to the stop. He was not the only one waiting for the bus. A number of people huddled around the stop, looking like they wanted to all scoot together to keep warm but not wanting to lose their personal space. Takagi considered working his way into the middle of the group, where he would be protected from the wind when he could see his bus pull around the corner.

The crowd of people shifted in response to the appearance of the bus. The people who were waiting for a different bus moved back while the people waiting for this bus moved forward. By the time the bus arrived, everyone was queued up to board the bus. A minute later, Takagi seated himself on the bus and it went to the next stop.

The ride to the movie theater was uneventful and he got off at a surprisingly empty shopping center and made his way to the movies. There he could see Chiba bundled up under layers of clothes.

"Hey, Chiba!" he said, waving at his friend.

The bundled figured turned towards Takagi and waved. When Takagi was close enough, he said, "Let's get inside. Too chilly out."

A moment later, Chiba was in line, buying his ticket. Takagi thought about what Chiba said. _It isn't as chilly as it has been I don't know what he is complaining about, _he thought before following Chiba in the line and buying his own ticket.

Once inside, the two friends made their way to the theater the action movie was showing in. Initially, the day before, Chiba suggested that they see a horror movie but Takagi vetoed the idea saying that he had seen enough horror lately. Chiba did not argue with that.

A few minutes later, they were seating themselves in a largely empty theater. Chiba looked around, "It's kind of weird how empty it is."

"It's a weekday and don't you usually go to the evening or premier showings?" Takagi answered.

"Yeah," Chiba affirmed before giving a little shiver and settling deeper into his coat instead of taking it off like Takagi did with his own coat.

Takagi frowned, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Just a bit chilled. And maybe, possibly, I might have a low grade fever," Chiba said, looking a little guilty.

Takagi smacked his head in disbelief. "And, yet, here you are, at a movie, instead of bed."

Chiba looked miffed as the lights dimmed and the previews began. He muttered loud enough only for Takagi to hear him, "I took some medicine and I needed to get out. Besides, when was the last time we hung out?" Takagi did not say anything. "That's what I thought. It's been too long."

Takagi sighed, "Fine. But you should go home after the movie."

Chiba grunted in a way that could be taken as an affirmative or negative just as the opening credits began to move across the screen.

As the movie progressed, Takagi would check on Chiba every once in a while. He was relieved to see that Chiba was engrossed in the movie and was showing more energy. Eventually, Takagi found himself drawn into the movie. The action was over the top and only believable in the movies but it did not detract from the fun of the whole thing.

Takagi stood and stretched as the ending credits rolled across the screen. Chiba was a little slower in standing but, as the lights came back up, Takagi could see that his color was a little better.

"That was just what I needed!" Chiba said, grinning. "I feel much better now."

Takagi chuckled, "You look much better, too." He looked around, "Anything else you want to do? How about we get a beer?"

Chiba thought about it a moment, "I'd like to but I'd better watch my money. And the medicine said not to mix it with alcohol."

Takagi winced with sympathy. "Okay. I hope you feel better tomorrow." Chiba nodded and walked off to his car. Takagi slowly made his way bus stop. The sun was beginning to dip behind the buildings, causing it to cool off but the air was still for a change.

His mind wandered some but mostly he hoped that Chiba would be okay. He knew that going out when a person was just starting to feel better might bring a relapse. _If he's not well tomorrow, I am going to tell Inspector Megure. It's too easy to get sick these days._


	26. Day 27

Day 27

* * *

Takagi sighed slightly as he dropped off his paperwork to be filed. The paperwork seemed to be heavier than normal. Takagi swore it was. The number of officers missing because they were ill was sizable and Takagi would not be surprised if some of their paperwork had migrated to his desk out of shear spite.

A quick glance around the room showed Takagi that there were a number of officers who were not sick enough to stay home but still sick. _I wonder if holding my breath would do any good? _Takagi wondered and then shook off the irrational thought. _If I get sick, I get sick._

A big sniff behind him cause him to turn and look. Chiba stood behind him. Chiba looked much better than the day before. His color was good and he was drinking the cup of coffee he held like it was the first coffee he had in days.

Chiba smiled, "Finally, the coffee tastes right. Whenever I get sick, it doesn't taste right. I've hardly had any since I got sick."

Takagi looked at the coffee on his desk and tried to remember if it tasted funny to him.

Chiba noticed his glance, "Don't worry about it. You will remember if it tastes funny. Besides, that's just me."

Megure walked into the room. "Okay, everyone, pay attention!" he said. Megure waited until all the officers put aside what they were doing to look at him. "A lot of you are sick and too many are out on sick leave. That means that everyone is going to have to start becoming familiar with all the active investigations." He paused a moment, "Actually, that's not quite right. You will be assigned another officers investigation. If they are not here, you are pick up where they left off. If you have to, call them and ask where they left off. Too many of you do not leave regular notes as to where you are in your investigations." Takagi knew he was not the only officer to shift uncomfortably at that statement.

Megure continued, "For those of you that are sick, you are to update the new officer assigned to the case and you are to get familiar with his case." He looked around the room, "I know this is unusual but there have never been so many officer sick before with so many different illness." He looked around the room, briefly making eye contact with each of the officers, "If this works out like the superintendent thinks, then we'll have the main investigating officers with a back-up who is up-to-date with their investigation. That ought to cover illness and injury." He looked back around the room, "I have a list here that divides each of you up into your prospective groups. I will be calling each of you forward at some point." He grinned in a predatory fashion, "So, if any of you need to get some coffee or take a bathroom break, now is the time."

Megure returned to his desk and placed the list down. The room came alive as the officers did as he suggested. "That's actually a good idea," Takagi said to Chiba. "But I have a feeling that it is going to create lots of new paperwork."

"No kidding," said Chiba, sweat-dropping. "Duplicate notes and the...backup?" Takagi nodded at the term. "The backup will probably need to do a bunch of paperwork just to keep up."

"The setup leaves a bad taste in my mouth," said a voice behind them causing the to twitch with surprise.

The owner of the voice gave them a lopsided grin as they turned to looked him. "I apologize. I did not mean to startle you," Shiratori said.

Chiba and Takagi quickly told him that it was all right. They shared a look before looking at Shiratori. "Why does it bother you, Shiratori-san?" Takagi asked.

Shiratori slowly blinked and considered the question. "It just does," he said deliberately, clearly unwilling to make any criticism of their superiors. "Excuse me," he said, leaving them and going over to Megure to talk to him.

"I bet Shiratori-san found out only a little while ago," Chiba said. "They probably just told him that the new policy was going into place without listening to other ideas."

"Or they didn't follow his suggestion," Takagi suggested.

Chiba chuckled, "That _would_ make him miffed." He stretched, "Well, I need to get back to my desk and work on organizing some of that paperwork before it gets even worse. I'm just glad I was sick on a day off. Can you imagine how bad it would be to be sick on a workday?"

Takagi winced, "That would be messy." He looked around the room and shook his head, "At least there aren't any major cases at the moment."

Chiba nodded and turned his attention to the pile of papers on his desk that were reminiscent of a snow covered mountain. _If he's not careful, that pile is going to fall over. All is would take is a stiff breeze from somebody walking past to make it fall over._

A familiar feminine chuckle to his left caught his attention. He looked over and was pleased to see he was correct. "How are you, Mi-, ah, Sato-san?" he asked.

"Better than most," she said. "I'm glad Chiba-kun is looking better." She looked over Takagi. He could feel his face heat up under the intense inspection. "I'm glad to see you aren't sick," she finally said, giving him a dazzling smile. Takagi could almost, no, he could feel the intense gazes of the officers well enough to notice the attention he was getting.

To Takagi's relief, the inspector cleared his throat and drew most of the attention to himself. "Okay, I believe we are ready to begin the assignments of groups. It is likely that some of the people you are going to be working with are ill, so, it may take a few days to properly coordinate everything." He swept his gaze across the room, "But if everyone is present, you are to meet and exchange information and catch up your backup on what the current status is of your cases."

Takagi caught a few hopeful glances in Sato's direction. _Not that I blame them, _he thought.


	27. Day 28

Heads up: This chapter is a little weird. When I started writing it, it was amusing and then it morphed into some sort of weird combination of humor at parts with some 'eww' thrown in at others.

* * *

Day 28

* * *

Takagi sneezed as he stepped out of the car. Chiba threw a worried look his way. "Are you getting sick?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Takagi shook his head. "No, but with the amount of paperwork we've gotten since yesterday, I'm considering it," he said, not too seriously.

Chiba chuckled as they walked over to the uniformed officers and ambulance, stepping around a number of custom motorcycles. "You're right about the paperwork. It's only been a day, no, not even a whole day yet and Inspector Megure looks ready to do anything to get rid of it. Including going hatless!" Takagi chuckled at example of the extremes their chief inspector would be willing to go to make the paperwork go away.

Chiba and Takagi wiped any amusement off their faces as the conversation was forestalled by a uniformed officer jogging up to them. He told them where the witnesses were and what was already known about the scene of the death before leading them into the bar and over to the body.

The two detectives got their just as the body was being prepared to be placed in a body bag. They both had to scrunch their noses up at the smell before they began to talk to the officers who collected the body.

Chiba squatted down and lifted the body, looking to see if there were any obvious causes of death. There was no reason not to be careful. Sometimes, there would be a liquid on the body that would evaporate before it was discovered. That sort of clue might not be necessary to figure a cause of death but it sure helped.

Chiba shook his head at Takagi. "No obvious signs for the cause of death." He looked a little pale as he stood, slowly, up. Takagi could see a telling spot wet spot forming around the rear region that usually indicated that the muscles of the body had relaxed in death and released excrement and was not the first time he had seen it and he knew it would not be the last so long as he was exposed to dead bodies.

Takagi stepped back to allow Chiba to get out of the way so the body could be put into the body bag. Chiba raised his eyebrows and nodded to the body and looked around the room. Takagi frowned a moment and realized what Chiba was getting at, the outfit that the deceased wore was not something normally seen around Beika. Then it hit him, the motorcycles and clothing, they were in a biker bar! Or, what passed for one in the greater Tokyo area. He felt like smacking his head for missing that.

Takagi could see Chiba's mind was beginning to drift a little, "Where do you think he got that coat?" Chiba asked Takagi quietly as the jacket in question disappeared into the black body bag as well as the rather short body it was on.

"I don't know," Takagi said, looking around the bar. "We probably could find out by asking one of his friends here. The styles are similar." He paused and grinned, "You thinking of buying a leather jacket?"

Chiba snorted, "As if I could afford a jacket like that. It's probably a custom job. It sure looked like one."

"You're probably right," Takagi said. The image of him wearing a leather jacket and Sato on one arm flitted through his head. _I wonder what Miwako-san would say if I got one? _He almost laughed at himself, _She would laugh at me, I bet. Probably say it wasn't my thing. But it would be nice to have one._  
"Still, it would be nice to have one," Chiba said, almost as if he heard what Takagi was thinking.

"Yeah," Takagi said. He looked around the bar the body had been found. There was no direct evidence of foul play. The man, Saitou, had going drinking with his buddies after the night shift and had kept it up for hours.

"I'm going to go talk to the bartender," Takagi said, getting back to the task at hand. Chiba nodded and said he was going to talk to the officers who were first on the scene. About fifteen minutes passed before they met back up to exchange information.

"It looks like he might have succumbed to alcohol poisoning. The first guys on the scene said everything reeked of alcohol," Chiba said. "But we'll have to wait for the toxicology reports to know for sure unless you got anything to refute the idea."

Takagi did not disagree. "What I learned backs that up. The bartender is feeling rather guilty. He couldn't believe how much they drank. Apparently, Saitou-san kept up with his friends, drink for drink, despite his smaller body mass, until he fell asleep."

"Speaking of asleep," Takagi said, looking exasperated, "We are going to have to wait until they are all sober to properly question them." There were four rather large men slumped over a nearby table, snoring away.

The sober voice of the bartender spoke up, "I tried to wake him. When he didn't wake, I called for help." He looked mournfully at the table the deceased had been seated, "But I've only been a bartender for a few years. Still, he didn't look that far gone and I'm usually pretty good at telling when it is time to cut someone off."

Takagi and Chiba exchanged a look before they began to subtly question the bartender about his relationship with the deceased.

Later, they thanked the bartender for his time but really felt exasperated. "Bartenders may have the reputation of being good listeners but there is nothing there that says they have to be good at telling stories," Takagi said, feeling like he had been trying to extract information from a forgetful child. "Still," he said after a pause, "I don't think he had anything to do with the death."

Chiba nodded, "Now we just need his friends to wake up. Do you think it would be better to wait until after their hangovers are gone or question them during a hangover."

Takagi winced, "After. Never question someone when they have a hangover. It can nearly be as bad as someone who is a mean drunk."

"Oh,okay," Chiba said, thinking about what Takagi said. "You know what? I was half expecting Mouri-san to be here because its a bar fairly close to his home."

Takagi snorted. "I don't blame you. I heard that he might be out of town at the moment."

"If only we are so lucky...," Chiba said, a prayer in the statement.


	28. Day 29

**Comments:** And with this chapter, this story is now, officially, my longest piece of fan fiction to date. *bows*

* * *

Day 29

The toxicology reports were clear. Saitou-san, the deceased from the bar, had consumed enough alcohol to put the average man into a coma. There was a note that stated he should not have been able to consume that much alcohol to begin with. The deceased suffered from advanced liver disease.

A quick glance at his notes told Takagi showed that Saitou-san reportedly had been having health issues of late but had refused to see a doctor. Takagi felt some relief that he could confidently mark this death down as an accidental death. That did not negate the fact that someone had died but he was glad that the man had not been murdered or committed suicide.

Still, he had to be frustrated with the stubbornness of people when it came to their health. He looked around the office and almost laughed. More people had returned to work but there were a few there wearing masks and a few who should have stayed home. _Not that we are encouraged to take time off when sick. Having one person away can throw off the flow of everything._

"Hey, Takagi!" said Chiba, pulling a chair up to Takagi's desk, "What do you think of yesterday's case?"

"I think that is was an accidental death...," and under his breath, he muttered, "Thank goodness," then he continued, "and we can mark it is such."

"Oh, good, I was thinking the same thing," Chiba said, pulling a donut out of somewhere (Takagi had to wonder if his friend had taken up slight of hand as a hobby), "Guess we can close this instead of passing the information on to our 'backup.'" He took a bite of the donut, "Who, conveniently, happens to be out sick."

Takagi looked at him, "You're kidding!"

Chiba shook his head and chuckled at Takagi's expression. "He left at lunch break looking like death warmed over. The inspector nearly threw him into the car himself!"

"Inspector Megure does look frustrated," Takagi observed, looking over at their inspector's desk. There seemed to be an invisible barrier around the inspector that everyone stayed clear of unless they had no choice but to approach him. The pile of papers on his desk were higher than normal and of a greater variety of colors due to the natural of duplicates and triplicates being different colors. Chiba snorted. Takagi flushed, "Okay, that was an understatement."

Chiba just snickered some more. "That's one way of putting it," he said. "Let's get this report done and turned in. Flip a coin to see who has to take it to Inspector Megure?"

"Sure," Takagi said, digging around for his wallet. He pulled it out and took out a coin. "You flip it," he said.

"You call it," Chiba said, flipping the coin. Takagi called it. Together, they looked at the coin. "Damn," Chiba said, "Looks like I lose."

* * *

"I'll see you later," Takagi said, waving to Chiba as he hopped into his car. Chiba was wearing a nearly identical smile to every other officer leaving for the day, Takagi included. Takagi knew he really should not be that happy but word circulating through the office said that the plan to basically have a backup officer to every case might be scrapped.

_I thought Inspector Megure looked unhappy today until I saw the people above him!_ Takagi thought. _They looked like they were ready to start a bonfire with all the extra paperwork that has come in. But then his mood picked up later, about the time that rumor began to circulate. Please let it end soon!_

As he climbed into his car, a piece of paper on the passenger seat caught his eye. As he picked it up to look at it, he remembered that it was a note he left for himself that morning.

_I forgot that I have a suit to replace,_ he thought. A sign escaped. "I hate shopping for new suits. That one wasn't even that old," he muttered. "I wonder if I still might be able to save the old one?" After a moment's thought, he shook the idea off. After having it dry cleaned and putting it on, he still could detect a smell from it. Whether or not it was psychological did not matter, he knew he was always going to be able to smell it. But, until he could replace it, he _had_ to wear it.

With his good mood deflated some, Takagi pulled out of the parking garage and headed for the shop that carried suits he could actually afford. He sighed_, Buying a new suit is going to put a cramp on my wallet this month._ Quick mental calculations told him before that he could afford a new suit, barring any other problems that might require money.

Despite it being rush hour, he made it there with a minimal amount of stopping or slowing down. Parking did not take him long and he soon found himself inside the building. Some very gaudy suits just off the entrance nearly caused him to laugh. They were on the racks, waiting for their buyers to come pick them up. _Those have to be special ordered. There is no way that they'd carry suits in that color and style._ He thought about what they might be for when he recalled one of Chiba's figures and nearly groaned. _Cosplay. They are someone's cosplay. That would explain the fuchsia color._

Shaking his head slightly, he continued walking in. "How can I help you, sir?" asked a salesman, stepping from behind the counter.

"I need to order a new suit," Takagi said, not quite able to keep out his annoyance at the fact.

"Have you ordered from us before?" the salesman asked. Takagi gave him an affirmative and gave his name. The salesman hopped onto a nearby terminal and pulled up Takagi's information. "I see that you bought a new suit last year, were there any problems with it?"

Takagi shook his head, "No, not with the suit. Just my job. It, ah, picked up a smell and I waited too long to get it dry-cleaned."

The salesman glanced up and asked, "What is you job? We do have other fabrics that a less likely to pick up environmental odors."

Takagi gave a mental shrug. It might help but he had a feeling that it would cost more. "I'm a police detective. I will say that crime scenes are not the neatest or best smelling places."

"I see," the salesman said, typing in some information, "If you like the style of your last suit, I can have a new one ordered for you made from fabric that ought to better suited, so to speak, that the last suit."

Takagi blinked. _They make stuff like that? Can I even afford it?_

The salesman looked up from the screen, "And it doesn't cost much extra. Then downside is that you will have to wait longer for the suit to be made because we don't have any in stock at the moment." He gave a slight chuckle, "The upside is that you get to chose whatever color you want for no extra charge because we are going to have to order it all anyway."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Takagi said, feeling relieved. If this new suit worked out, it might be worth replacing the rest. Buying a new suit might be putting a dent in his finances but at least he was getting something for it.


	29. Day 30

Halfway through! *does happy dance*

* * *

**Day 30**

"Ah! Chiba, look out!" Takagi yelled as he ducked under the small glass bottle that flew over his head. Takagi could hear Chiba behind him exclaim as the bottle bounced off his chest. Quickly, he moved forward and restrained the woman who had thrown the bottle.

He coughed a little from the strength of the smell. It was then that he could feel the bottle had ended up splattering him with its contents as it flew past.

He grimaced. Chiba moaned next to him, "Oh, man, how will I get that smell out?"

"A little help here," Takagi said, trying to restrain the belligerent woman who threw the bottle. She was yelling obscenities at him, insinuating that his mother had done things with barnyard animals to create a person like him.

"Whoa!" said a child's voice from further back, "Someone needs to wash her mouth out with soap. Well, that's what my mom threatens and I never say anything that bad."

Takagi glanced over his shoulder as Chiba grabbed the other arm of the woman, and groaned. Genta had been the speaker and he was not alone. The rest of the his friends stood around him, looking on with big eyes as they listened to the woman.

"I don't think the police wash people's mouths out with soap, Genta," Conan said, his tone surprisingly dry for a child's. "And I don't think she appreciates your suggestion," he added when the woman in question yelled something back at them. Conan grabbed Ayumi's arm and guided her away. "We're all too young to hear this."

If Takagi were not already frowning from dealing with the woman, he would have frowned at Conan's comment. It was surprisingly unchildlike but still something that Conan would say. Most of time, he did not notice it anymore. In fact, he glanced over at Chiba, Takagi knew he was not the only one had come to expect Conan's behavior.

The woman tried to wrench away, drawing Takagi's mind back to the task at hand. Fortunately, for Chiba and himself, some uniformed officers had showed up and took the belligerent woman into custody. He sent a brief glare their way, _Where were they a few minutes ago?_

Minutes later, Chiba and Takagi wrapped up what was supposed to be the initial interview with the saleswoman behind the perfume counter and her complaint of the threats she had received from one customer, who had shown up in the middle of the interview.

Later, when they climbed into Chiba's car, they both let out lengthy sighs that bordered on groans.

"Oh, man, we stink," Chiba said, rolling down his window. "Roll down your window, too," he told Takagi, "I don't want my car smelling like the perfume section of a department store."

They rode in relative silence back to the station. After a while, Takagi felt like his sense of smell deadened by the perfume that had fallen all over his head and shoulders. "I'd rather not report to the inspector," Takagi said. "Not smelling like this, anyway. I can already hear the wise-cracks."

"They'll stop making jokes eventually," Chiba said. "Just wait for the next case involving Mouri or Conan and his friends." He looked a little relieved, "At least they didn't get involved this time."

"Barely," Takagi muttered. Chiba just snorted in reply.

Takagi's fears were completely justified as they walked into the station. Amused grins followed in their wake. Chiba was not quite as bothered by Takagi as it but he was also not the one most of the snide remarks were directed at.

One or two snide comments in the bullpen implied that Takagi was wearing a women's perfume as a subtle sign of his role in his relationship. After the second one, Takagi shivered and noticed Chiba do the same thing. In fact, he noticed many officers shiver. It felt like the temperature of the room had dropped twenty degrees.

As one, the group glanced in the direction of the one person who would take the most offense at those comments.

Sato glared out, her gaze sweeping over the room. The pile of papers in from of her nearly smoked from the force of her glare. The silence that had descended when the temperature dropped was quickly covered up by the sound of people shuffling papers and moving around, trying to look busy.

As her eyes met Takagi's, the glare vanished and became something that made Takagi's heart leap up to his throat. And none of the other officers in the room who noticed dared to say or do anything.

Chiba coughed breaking the spell. For once, Takagi thought it might be a real cough. The smell of the perfume was getting to him, too. They made their way to the inspector's desk to deliver a verbal report but were dismissed after a few minutes because the smell sent Megure into a sneezing fit.

The rest of the day dragged on for Takagi. Others made joking comments but kept them deliberately lightly teasing. Word had gotten around what _not_ to say.

Finally, it was time for the shift to change. Megure had to smile as he told Chiba and Takagi to go a little early. "No sense in risking a sneezing attack in the elevator," he said, his grin not quite hiding under his mustache.

They walked towards the elevator together. "Nice to get off a few minutes early," Chiba said. "But I'm not sure its worth it." He looked absently at the ceiling, "I wonder how hard it will be to get rid of the smell?"

Takagi shrugged, "I don't know. Guess we're going to find out."

Abruptly, Chiba said, "Oh, hey, I forgot some stuff at my desk. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Day after tomorrow," Takagi said, correcting him, "I have tomorrow off."

"In a couple days then," Chiba said, moving away rather quickly, leaving the hallway strangely quite.

"You have tomorrow off?" said a voice behind him, sounding rather pleased. Takagi quickly turned and nearly fell backwards from surprise. Sato had been standing right behind him! She glanced back and smiled at the empty hallway. "Any plans tomorrow evening?"

"P-plans?" Takagi stuttered. As he spoke, his mind caught the hint. "Would you like to go to dinner?" She gave him a fox like grin in response.

"Um," his mind scrambled for a place.

A door opening down the hall caused them to jump apart. Sato grinned sardonically and muttered, "There goes the mood." She turned to Takagi, "Surprise me," and then walked back to the bullpen.

Takagi watched her until she disappeared around the corner. Reluctantly, he turned and walked to the elevator.

* * *

For once, Takagi was glad he decided to wear the suit he was planning to get rid of once the new one was ready. There was no way that the perfume smell was _ever_ going to come out. As soon as he entered his apartment, he began to strip, taking a moment to grab a trash sack from the kitchen. In his tiny bathroom, he happily shoved all the scented clothes into sack and began to wash.

_Did I wash all of the smell out?_ he thought. "Kind of hard to tell," he muttered to himself, "I kind of can't smell it any more.

After the shower, he walked into the small living room and with an exaggerated groan, Takagi dropped onto the couch. Lazily, he felt around for the remote. Finally, he reached down between the cushions and was rewarded to find it down there, though, he had to make a face. _I really hope that was just popcorn I felt down there_, he thought.

Breathing deeply, Takagi caught the scent of a delicate fragrance. He frowned and looked around for the source of the scent._ I thought I washed all that stuff off and threw the clothes in a plastic bag. Did I forget something? _Frustrated, he got up, sniffing around (and very glad there was no one around to see him doing so). A minute later, he found the source of the smell. A bit of fabric peeked from under the couch. He grabbed a corner and pulled it out.

It was a good quality handkerchief.

He frowned as he looked at and tried to figure out where it came from. Then he felt a figurative light bulb go off over his head. "It probably belongs to Miwako-san!" he said, a silly grin spread across his face. "I'll return it to her tomorrow!"


	30. Day 31

Note: I have chapters planned out ahead (even if it is only a sentance or two on what I want to happen), so, please do not get upset if things do not happen quite the way you expected. This is Takagi we're talking about. Let us take a moment to remember his luck.

* * *

Day 31

* * *

Takagi hopped out of bed with a light step and a smile on his face. A date with Miwako-san! What could beat that?

_The only problem is that I need to find a place she'll like,_ he thought as he shaved and brushed his teeth. As tempted as he was to take her to a fancy restaurant, he knew that she did not like them (she had told him as much for her reason for turning down Shiratori before). But he did not want to go and be cheap on her.

The restaurant had to be someplace special. Someplace that would not make her uncomfortable but would still be nice.

_This is going to be a lot harder than I thought,_ he thought to himself, spitting into the sink after brushing his teeth. _She sure trusts me to pick out the right place. _He began to sweat at the thought of picking a place she did not like and her turning to Shiratori for his more refined (supposedly) taste.

He plodded from the bathroom to the kitchen. Absentmindedly, he grabbed a box of cereal from the pantry and poured himself a bowl. The lack of milk irked him but his mind was more focused on choosing the right place for a date rather than something that he could easily fix.

A quick glance at the clock reminded him that he did not have all day to pick out a place. Would a late supper be better or would she prefer someplace right after work?

_I don't want to call her and ask,_ he thought, absentmindedly eating his cereal. _And I'm not that good of a cook so I just can't prepare a meal here for her..._ _That isn't a bad idea. Only, hmmm._ He sat back in the chair and stared off into space as he considered the idea. _I _could_ go out to that place. The one that does very nice bentos. _He frowned, _No, that'll be a good place once spring gets here. Ah! Better write it down before I forget._ He hopped up from the table and began to to rummage around for a piece of paper and a pen. It took him a few minutes but he did write the idea down.

But that still left him with the problem of finding a good place to eat tonight.

_I know she likes French food but not fancy restaurants. Are there any places around that serve French food but aren't too fancy?_ He sighed forlornly. It was a lot harder than he thought it would be. _I wish she had given me a little direction!_

A beeping came from his cell phone and Takagi leaped up to grab it off the counter. He fiddled with it a moment before realizing that it was not ringing but signaling that he received a text message.

The sender read Sato Miwako. A bad feeling grew in the pit of his stomach as he opened the message. All it said was 'call me.'

Nervously, he selected her name and called her. It rang until he knew it would go to voicemail on the next ring when it was answered by a rather hoarse sounding voice. "Hello, Takagi-kun," it said (he thought it was Sato but it was kind of hard to tell).

"Sato-san?"

She seemed to croak an affirmative. "I'm going to have to give you a raincheck on that date. I've spent half the night up on an unwelcome date with a porcelain bowl."

There was silence on both ends for a minute. "If it isn't one thing, it's another," Sato said. Quickly, she added, almost sounding green as she said, "Got to go. Thanks for calling back!" He thought he heard her 'urp' just before hanging up.

His grimaced. She was right. If it was not one thing, it was another thing that kept them apart. _I'm probably going to be the one to get sick on the next day we plan a date._ His wandered a little, _It sounds like she has a stomach bug. It's going to be days before she'll be ready to eat anything besides food that is easy on the stomach. Oh, well, that'll give me a little more time to find the right place._

A slight smile crossed his face, "I guess that makes every moment even more precious."

He spent a few minutes staring off into space, playing absently with his cereal. Abruptly, he snapped out of it and stood. "Phone book, phone book," he said, rummaging around the cabinets and going out through his small bookcase (which happened to be overflowing).

Frowning from frustration, he looked around the room before his eyes fell on the book in question. It was sitting in plain sight, right next to his phone.

Resisting the urge to bang his head on the wall (or on the book itself), he began to flip through it until he found the restaurants. "I might as well look through. Maybe I'll find a good restaurant to take her to," he muttered to himself as he scanned down the list. "Ah! This place looks like it might be a good one!" He looked around for the pen and paper he used earlier and found them on the table where he left them.

_How do I manage to misplace so many things? My apartment isn't that big. _Quickly, he scribbled down a short list of promising restaurants. _That'll be enough looking for today._

Absently, he pinned it to the fridge with a magnet. His mind wandered slightly along all his thoughts that related to Sato. _I guess I need to return that handkerchief. Wait! What if she left it on purpose?_ He thought about that a moment before laughing at the idea. _She's not one to do anything that subtle. But I really do need to return it and the photo that fell off her desk. I still need to get it copied, despite how embarrassing the whole situation was._


	31. Day 32

A/N: Imagine the "Mission Impossible" music for the first chunk of the story.

* * *

Day 32

* * *

Takagi looked around nervously. The text instructions he had received had been explicit. He was to watch out for a woman in a long blue (straight blue, not navy or dark). If he saw he leaving the address, it was okay to move in. If she went in instead or refused to leave, then he was to abort his mission.

He nearly jerked back as the woman exited from the address. She turned back to say something to another person in there. Her motions indicated that she was worried but she left after what looked like was some convincing argument from the person Takagi could not see. She walked away from the address, throwing a few worried glances back before she descended the stairs and let herself into an familiar car.

He watched her throw one more worried glance back at the address before climbing into the car and driving off.

For a moment, Takagi wanted to let out a sighed of relief. Instead, he walked up the stairs that lead to the address, carrying his cell phone in one hand and, in the other, he held a fast-food bag.

Tentatively, he reached over to ring the door bell but the door flew open and he was pulled in by his tie. He stumbled a bit across the floor as the bag was pulled from his hand. It almost sounded like the bag was being torn apart by a pack of wolves.

Takagi rubbed his neck a little as he looked up at his 'assailant.' "I take it you're feeling better, Sato-san," he said, making it more of a statement rather than a question.

"Mmmm," she agreed as she bit into the hamburger, a look of ecstasy spread across her face. She took a moment to swallow before she gave him a proper answer. "Much better but mother was absolutely fanatical that I not go into work today and that I eat only broth and yogurt, conveniently forgetting that I recover quickly from stomach bugs." She took another bite of the burger (but a much smaller one this time). "You are an absolute lifesaver. I'd _show_ you just how much I appreciate the food but I don't want to take the chance of getting you sick."

Takagi could feel himself heat up at the thought of her _showing_ her appreciation. Especially since she had hinted (or was that that basically yelling when it came to flirting?) that she was afraid of getting him sick as a result.

They stood there for a moment when Sato stopped just as she was raising the burger to her mouth for another bite. "Where are my manners. Come on in," she said, leading him to a cozy room with a kotatsu and floor cushions. He followed her example and sat down, tucking his legs under the warm table. "Wataru...," she growled, "Didn't you get yourself anything?"

"Umm, I was going to but I forgot when I got up there." _I didn't want to mess up your order,_ he thought. "Ah, don't worry, I'll eat when I get home," he said, trying to mollify her. She continued to stare intently at him.

"I was surprised to get your 'orders' at work," he said, trying to find something to talk about that would stop her from staring.

She laughed a little. "I knew it would be better than calling you. It can be to nosy there to get anything done."

"Don't you mean 'noisy?" Takagi asked.

She shook her head and gave him a flirty smile, "No, nosy. There's Yumi and all the detectives. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. Like I said, nosy."

He laughed and shook his head in agreement. "That's true." _They still were nosy. 'What you got there, Takagi-kun?' 'Who's it from, Takagi-kun?' Some of the questions were just plain embarrassing. I'm just glad I could switch to a text from Chiba before any of them saw I had one from Miwako-san._

They both jumped when the phone rang. "Just a moment," Sato said, grabbing the phone.

"Hello?" Frustration and panic crossed her face, "It was canceled? And you'll be home in just a few minutes? Are you sure you want to come home? I'm not the best patient." She made shooing motions at Takagi. "Okay, fine, but could you please pick up some more of that juice? Please?" She looked a little relieved, "Thank you. See you in fifteen minutes."

Sato hung up and put the phone on the table. Then she dropped her head to the table with a satisfying 'thunk.' Takagi heard her mumbling but could not make out what she was saying.

"Umm, Miwako-san? Are you okay?" he asked, reaching over and putting a hand on her shoulder. She reached up with a hand and grabbed his hand as she sat back up. "Is it too much to want some quality time with you?" frustration evident in her voice and on her face. She shook her head, "Never mind, we'll _make _time in the future." She quietly added, "Somehow."

Takagi frowned and moved closer. She smiled at him,"Sorry, I'm going to have to kick you out. I'm not ready to have you meet my mother yet. Oh, here, take the fries. Have yourself something completely unhealthy. I need to finish this burgur."

"Won't the smell make her suspicious?" Takagi asked.

Sato shrugged, "I'll just pretend like I don't smell it." She glanced at her wristwatch. "I don't want to drive you off but my mother just might show up early. I'll see you at work tomorrow." He heard her mutter, "Even if I have to sneak past my mother and drive her to the funny farm tonight."

He pulled his coat back on, while trying to remember taking it off in the first place, and then pulled his shoes on. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miwako-san."

She gave him a wave as he slipped out the door and down the stairs. He felt a moment of panic as he passed the woman he knew (now) was her mother. But she only glanced at him as she passed him on that stairs, a sack dangling from one hand.

_Miwako-san was right. I wonder what her mother would think of me? _He the thought of turning back and introducing himself passed through his mind but he quickly abolished the thought. _I'm sure she has a reason for not wanting me to meet her mother. Wait..., I think she said _yet_. That means that'll she will have me meet her mother at some point! _The thought scared him a little but made him excited at the same time. _I wish my parents lived close enough for me to introduce them. I know they'd like Miwako-san._


	32. Day 33

I almost didn't get this chapter done today 'cause I decided to kick back and relax on my birthday.

* * *

Day 33

* * *

"This is the correct address?" Takagi asked dubiously, as he gazed up at the dilapidated apartment.

"Yep," Chiba said, "He said it was all he could afford." He straightened his coat as they walked away from the car. "Thanks for coming out with me. Shiratori-san had to attend a meeting."

"It's not a problem. Anything to escape all the paperwork," Takagi said.

Chiba grinned, "You don't mind the paperwork it will create?"

Takagi grimaced, "It shouldn't be too bad. You're doing all the work."

Chiba snorted but did not say anything as they stepped under the dubious awing for the complex.

Takagi shook his head as he opened the door to the lobby of the run down apartment complex. It made a bad noise and the top hinge came undone. Takagi laughed sheepishly as he tried to screw it back in place.

A voice floated out from behind the counter. "Don't bother with the door. It's been messed up for ages."

Takagi still tried to screw it back in place with his fingers (with partial success) before he gave up. The detectives looked around the lobby for the source of the voice. Takagi walked over to the counter and looked over the edge. A boy who looked to be in grade school looked up from the little TV that was tucked under the counter. "Can I help you?"

Chiba frowned as he looked at the child, "Shouldn't you be in school?"

The child gazed at him like he said something stupid. "School got out a TV show ago. Don't you know what time school gets out?"

Takagi sighed. He could see that this 'conversation' might rapidly degrade until Chiba would be acting the same age as the child.

"Excuse me," Takagi interrupted, "You look like you know everyone here. Maybe you can help us find someone. He told us he lives here but not the address. His name is Sugimoto Kenichi."

The child gazed at Takagi suspiciously. "Why do you want to see 'im?"

Takagi took out his badge and showed it to the child, "He was a witness but couldn't give a statement at the time. He told up this was a better time and place to give a statement."

The child looked at the badge a moment and his shoulders drooped. "Damn, I was hoping to see someone arrested."

Chiba muttered under his breath just barely loud enough for Takagi to hear, "I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem in a place like this."

Takagi felt like sighing. Instead, he asked the boy, "Can you tell us what room Sugimoto-san lives in?"

The boy thought about it a moment and frowned, as if he could not recall anyone by that name. Then he perked up. "Oh! You're talking about Ol' Stagger. Yeah, I know where he lives. Third floor, room on the end of the hall. He paid more for a corner room with access to the fire escape. Said he likes to know he can get out quick if he needs to." The boy smirked in a knowing way.

Takagi and Chiba shared a look._ Why don't I like the comment of 'get out quick'? _Takagi wondered as he thanked the boy, taking a moment to catch his name just in case they needed it.

The two detectives walked over to the elevator only to notice that it was taking a very long time to descend. "The stairs?" Takagi asked Chiba. Chiba shrugged in response.

A little while later, Takagi and a very red-faced Chiba took a minute to catch their breath after climbing the stairs. Takagi felt like he was more winded than Chiba looked._ I didn't think I was in that bad of shape. I need to take up jogging again. Or walking, at least._

Chiba wheezed, "We should have taken the elevator up and the stairs down." He looked at Takagi and frowned, "You don't look so good."

Takagi sniffed to clear up his nose, "I'll be fine in a minute or two."

Over their respective wheezing, the sound of very off key singing could heard echoing down the hallway. In fact, it seemed to be coming from the room at the end of the hallway by the emergency exit.

As they walked closer, they could tell that singing _was_ coming from the room the child had directed them to. Takagi knocked on the door. "Sugimoto-san? We're here to collect your statement."

The singing stopped and the sound of rather unsteady footsteps came closer and closer to the door until they stopped when there was 'thud' as the the walker connected with the door. There was some muted cussing and a slurred question, "Where did the door come from?"

Takagi glanced back at Chiba and could see his friend was trying to school his expression away from amusement (though his expression of suppressed amusement was pretty similar).

After some fumbling, the door opened. The wave of alcohol fumes nearly knocked the two detectives over they were so strong. In fact, they were too strong. The only way for Sugimoto to smell that strongly was if he was practically bathing in spirits. Or if he were brewing them.

"Yesh, wadda ya want?" he asked as he leaned against the door for support in a way that indicated he needed help standing.

Chiba said, "You weren't able to give us a statement yesterday and told us that coming to your... home (this was added as he rolled his eyes around to indicate the whole complex) for the statement. Would it be a problem if we came in?"

Sugimoto blinked wearily at them. "Waitta minute... yer cops?" It seemed to take a minute for this thought to sink in. "Aw, shit. Um, my place is, um, too messy," he said, sounding a whole lot sober. But he stumbled back and fell flat on his rear, throwing the door open revealing a homemade still that was the source of the smell.

"Dammit," Sugimoto said before he passed out and hit the floor with an impressive 'thud.'

As one, Chiba and Takagi sighed. Arresting a witness was bad enough but the paperwork that would come with the illicit still would be a whole new experience.

Chiba sounded disgruntled, "What are you so down about? You have tomorrow off."

Takagi brightened, "That's right. I had forgotten that." He gave Chiba a sly grin, "But think of the paperwork Shiratori will have to do? After all, he is the supervisor in this case."

Chiba chuckled, "I'd forgotten that. Maybe tomorrow won't be so bad."

Takagi nodded. He wanted to make a set of plans for future dates with Miwako. He had a feeling he was going to need it.


	33. Day 34

This chapter is a little crazy. If you have questions, I'll answer them as best I can. :) But I think it'll be obvious what it going on by the end.

* * *

Day 34

* * *

Takagi felt his jaw creak from yet another yawn. He stared off into space, blinking slowly, trying to clear his mind. _I've felt kind of off this morning but now,_ he could actually feel his mind stop for a moment so he could yawn again, _But now, I don't think I can keep my eyes open any longer. I even slept in this morning._

With almost no energy, he looked at his wrist watch. He was almost surprised to see that he had only been up for five or six hours. He felt like he had just gone a day without sleep.

A moment later, he jerked up out of a light doze. "What is wrong with me?" he asked himself. He violently shook his head and stood up. The room seemed to sway and rock. "Sitting is a good idea," he said, dropping back down on the worn sofa. He considered going to the kitchen to get something caffinated to help him wake up but standing seemed like a bad idea. _Maybe I should go back to sleep...Maybe there is something on TV to help me sleep._

He reached down between the couch cushions and pulled out the remote. Flipping the TV on, he flipped through the channels until he landed on what looked like a movie. The TV droned on, some monster movie playing.

Takagi could feel his eyelids become heavier and heavier every time he blinked. _Maybe I'll just leave them closed,_ he thought. _I can still listen to the movie._

Leaving his eyes closed was a tremendous relief. It felt like there was lead weighing them down.

He could hear talking. _It's probably coming from the TV. _But something was not right. Why was he sitting when he should be standing and helping Conan-kun?

Takagi stood up and held the walkie talkie up, mentally marking off the steps as the bomb squad member ran him through the steps to disarm the bomb.

Takagi looked up at the opening in the elevator ceiling. Though it was dark, he could see the slight form of Conan carefully moving around as he familiarized himself with the tools he needed to disarm the bomb.

Finally, Conan stated he was ready and they began the tedious process of disarming the booby trapped bomb. Takagi was horrified at the message challenging them to make the sacrifice of giving up their lives on the chance of saving more people.

The horror was supplanted by awe for a time as he listened to Conan. The deduction Conan offered was brilliant. Not just for someone his age but for all ages.

"Who are you?" Takagi found himself asking. As Conan answered, it was almost as if he could see someone else superimposed over the small form.

Takagi looked down. The cabin was cramped and the atmosphere thick with tension as the teenager standing by the Inspector directed everyone about the cabin like master director on a film set. Takagi could remember how naturally he listened to the youth, the son of a friend of the inspector.

Takagi now stood in a strange room that seemed to be an amalgamation of the elevator, airplane, and his apartment. He looked around. Instead of airplane seats, there was his sofa and the TV showed a countdown. There was a open door off to the side that looked like the airplane toilet. Chancing a look up, he could see the there was a dark hole in the ceiling.

Of course! It all made sense now! How Conan-kun related to Kudo-kun and everything that had happened with Mouri-san.

"I've only seen a few people make leaps of logic like that. And Conan-kun was definitely not acting like a child then!" Takagi thought. It felt like his mind was moving as fast as a bullet from a gun.

"Kudo-kun has hardly been seen since Conan-kun showed up and Conan-kun makes connections that seasoned detectives miss."

"Their leaps of logic are so similar. They must be one in the same!"

Takagi paced in the bizarre room, "Maybe Kudo-kun has some sort of disease that made him child-like. But why would he hide under another identity? For privacy, maybe. But it doesn't even seem like Ran-kun knows and I know they have known each other since they were young. Why wouldn't he tell her? I know that she has been worried about Kudo-kun." Takagi chuckled, "I know there have been enough rumors and a few bets flying around them."

A roaring sound made he look up. With eyes the size of saucers, he gave a surprised yell and began to run from the Gomera-like creature chasing him and, strangely enough, Professor Agasa, who was yelling something about having just the invention needed to kill the creature. They just had to make it back to his lab alive. And, oh, would Takagi be good enough to act as a distraction so Agasa could actually get the device?

"Nooo!" Takagi found himself yelling as he jerked upright and off the couch onto the floor. "Ow," he muttered after a moment, pushing himself up to lean against the couch. He blinked, trying to clear his eyes.

The source of the roar and the scientist asking for a distraction was clear. The TV was still playing a monster movie. He stared at the screen. Was it the same movie he had settled on before?

Yes, he decided it was. But why did it make him remember the incident in the elevator and then murder on plane? Somehow, he felt like they were linked but he could not remember how.

Another tinny roar drew his attention to the TV. _Maybe I ought to go to bed? _He looked over to the kitchen. _Some water first. Make that a lot of water._

Somehow, Takagi leveraged himself up and, with the aid of the wall, stumbled into the kitchen. Choosing a plastic cup, he filled it and drained. He stared at the empty cup and decided it would be more useful if he filled it again.

Feeling a little better he stumbled to his bedroom and flopped onto the bed, only spilling the water a little. He did not remember putting the cup on the nightstand or pulling the sheets up before he fell back asleep.


	34. Day 35

I had to dash to finish off this chapter. I had forgotten that I had not finished (or even mostly finished) this chapter so there might be errors. Point out any glaring ones to me and I'll fix them.

* * *

Day 35

* * *

A shrill ring cut riped through Takagi's slumber and caused him to wake up and break into a cold sweat. He looked around the room in a panic until he realized that it was the cell phone sitting on the dresser next to his bed.

He reached for it and frowned when his hand fell short. Trying again, he managed to pick up the phone. "'Ello?" he said, feeling like his mouth was full of dry socks. He frowned again and saw that the cup on the dresser was empty.

"Takagi-kun, you're late," said a very familiar, stern voice on the end. A moment later, his mind identified the caller as Inspector Megure.

His eyes felt like they were being pulled towards his clock. He blinked once. Then he blinked again. It was nine a.m. A small part of him panicked for sleeping through his alarm clock (or did he turn it off when it went off?). The rest of him was too tired to care that he was late for work.

"In-Inspector Megure...," he said trailing off. His mind tried to catch up with what he was feeling. "I don't think I am coming in today... I feel terrible..."

Takagi wondered if he imagined the sound of something hitting something hard. "Sir...?"

"Okay, I understand, you're sick." Takagi heard a loud sigh come from the inspector. In the background, he swore he heard someone say "Pay up!" but he thought that might be his imagination.

"Do you think you'll feel better tomorrow?" Megure asked. Takagi thought he could hear a note of pleading saying he would be in tomorrow.

Takagi pulled himself out of bed and found he had to lay back down. When he did not answer, Megure said, "Takagi-kun," with more than a little worry in his voice.

"Sorry, Inspector Megure," Takagi said. "Maybe." He thought about how he felt a moment later. "Afternoon, I think."

Megure sighed (whether from relief or exasperation, Takagi was not sure), "I'll assume you aren't coming in tomorrow but if you feel well enough, please come in. We need everyone we can get. Even if it is just for office work." Then Megure bid Takagi to get better and hung up.

Takagi lay back down. _I really could use something to drink. And wasn't that glass full last night?_ A frown formed on his face, "What a minute... didn't I go to bed in the afternoon?"

A flash of panic provided the energy he needed to get out of bed. Though he was unsteady, he made it to the bathroom and fumbled around until he found the thermometer.

He stuck it in his mouth and nearly spat it right back out. It was covered in dust. Chagrin coloring his thoughts, he cleaned it off in the sink again. A few seconds later, it beeped indicating that it was done. Taking it out, he squinted to read the temperature. _100.6,_ he read to himself. _That is a bit high. I wonder what it had been last night. No wonder I don't feel well._

He cleaned off the the thermometer before he wobbled back to his night table. He grabbed the cup off the table and proceeded to the kitchen. A minute was spent paused, staring blankly, in front of the TV he had forgotten to turn off the day before. Figuring he could take care of that later, he continued to the kitchen and got himself a fresh glass of water and some (stale) cereal.

Absently, he chewed and tried to figure out what he needed to do to get well.

"It's rather embarrassing," he muttered at one point. "Everyone else gets sick and I'm fine and then I get sick and forget to call in." He could already imagine the teasing remarks Chiba or Yumi (or possibly both) would make when he came back in. "After all, Inspector Megure's desk sits in the bullpen, by now, someone will have learned what happened and will tell someone else."

The little voice in the back of his head reminded him that Sato's desk was right by the inspector's. _It's too much to hope she's heard that I'm sick. I bet everyone else is vying for her attention._ His vivid imagination had every available officer make smooth remarks to Sato. Still, he had a hard time imagining her falling for them despite the ease of doing so in the past.

With a grimace, he finished off the unexciting bowl of cereal (he would have made something but he did not have the energy and he knew he needed to eat something). After he refilled his glass, he walked back into the small living room and sat back down on the couch. A quick round through the channels showed that most of the shows would put him to sleep. He picked one anyway, figuring sleep was what his body needed. During lucid moments, he remembered that he would get up to eat, drink, and answer the call of nature before going back to sleep with the TV droning on (quietly as he turned it down).

It was late in the evening when he woke feeling better than he had since the morning the day before. He blinked in surprise at the blanket that was stretched over him. "When did I put this one?" he asked. A delightful smell from the kitchen caught his attention.

The sound of the cabinets opening and closing (along with some muffled cursing caught his attention). Mentally cursing, Takagi eased off the couch as best he could and tried to sneak to the kitchen.

"Wataru-kun?" said a familiar voice quietly not to wake him if he had been asleep. He stumbled a little as he stopped.

"Mi-Miwako-san?" he said quietly, not quite believing that he heard correctly. But the person that stepped out of the kitchen was undeniably her.

She grinned at him. "Feeling any better?" she asked. He nodded. "Then come and sit down. I picked up this really good soup mix. Guaranteed to be foolproof for that cooking challenged."

With more energy, Takagi moved into the kitchen and sat down at the table as Sato filled two bowls with a hearty looking soup.

She put the pot back on the small burner and sat down. "Sorry for barging in like this," she said, taking a spoon and blowing on the soup to cool it a little. "I _did _knock and call when I came in. I knew you were sick and was a little worried when you didn't respond. The inspector said you didn't sound good at all."

She tasted the soup and made a pleased face. More to herself, she said, "This is better than I thought it would be."

"Ah, it's okay, I mean, I don't mind that you came in. You're welcome here anytime," Takagi stuttered as clarify what he meant without blushing too much.

She gave him a fox-like grin and told him to enjoy his soup before it cooled too much. Takagi agreed and enjoyed the quiet meal with Sato.


	35. Day 36

I decided to take last week off because of Easter and my visiting Grandma. And this week I have been walloped by a cold. There is one other thing (personal) that has happened today and has pretty much sucked my desire to proof-read and edit this chapter. Those are my reasons for any errors (not making excuses, I could have written this earlier this week before everything happened). Hope it isn't too bad.

_--_

* * *

_I had some really bizarre dreams,_ Takagi thought, as he worked his way through a very late breakfast (most people would call it lunch), feeling better than he had in days. _I just wish I could remember what they were about. _He frowned. "They feel like they were important," he sighed.

Idly, he considered his options. One, he could stay home another day. The inspector already assumed he was not coming in. Or, two, he could go in for a half day of work.

He picked at the leftovers, wishing that they had not eaten all the soup the night before. He would love to have some again. Fondly, he remembered how homemade soup usually tasted better after it had sat overnight in the fridge (and his mother's soup in particular).

Shaking his head to clear out the daydreams, he put his dishes in the sink and went to his room to change for work. He felt well enough that if he sat around the apartment all day, he would go stir crazy. So, work it was. It had to beat sitting around the apartment all day.

--

Takagi blinked and blinked again. The bullpen was nearly empty. In fact, when he first entered, he had stepped back out and read the room number just to see if he had entered the correct room. The inspector was gone and every desk was empty save one.

Shiratori was hunched over the inspector's desk, talking rapidly into the phone. After a few seconds, he hung up and let out a sigh. He turned to go back to his desk and stopped when he saw Takagi. He frowned as he said abruptly, "I thought you weren't coming in."

Takagi shrugged as he moved to his desk, noting the additional forms it seemed to attract on his sick day. "I feel a lot better. Not one hundred percent but good enough to come in." He nodded indicating the whole room, "Where is everyone?"

"Sick or out on a call," Shiratori said, sitting at his desk but not turning back to the papers on it. "Almost everyone went to a karaoke bar after work last night and it seems that they got food poisoning from something there."

Takagi blinked. "What'd they eat?" he asked as he absently flipped through the new papers on his desk.

"I wouldn't know," Shiratori admitted, "I had prior obligations and was unable to attend." Another sigh escaped, "And with the current case, the inspector wanted every healthy body that could be spared out on the street. With any luck, it will be wrapped up before the end of the day instead of dragging on."

He noticed Takagi's blank expression. "You do know about what happened this morning, right?"

Takagi shook his head, "I haven't watched the news in days and I didn't get up until late. So, I don't know what's going on."

Shiratori shook his head, "You really need to keep up with current events."

_Excuse me!_ thought Takagi_, Not everyone has you iron discipline to put aside misery and keep up with everything. _

Shiratori explained, "First, there was the bomb threat. Most of the people who came in today are working investigating that. Everyone investigating that is in one of special investigation rooms. It looks like it is a hoax but, well,..." he shrugged indicating that he was not so sure. "Then there was some sort of attack on a bus. The few officers who aren't working on either of those cases are investigating smaller incidents that have come up or are trying to get all their paperwork filed."

"Leaving you to mind the shop?" Takagi said, holding in his amusement.

"Yes," Shiratori said, curtly. "But now that your here, regulations are satisfied."

Takagi gave him a questioning look. "I was wondering where the other guy was. There should always be two officers present." Shiratori looked annoyed. Takagi found himself grinning a little, "Let me guess, he went home sick?"

To Takagi's bemusement, Shiratori actually dropped his head to the desk. He could nearly see the annoyance and frustration roll off the other man. He rapidly got up from the desk when the phone on Megure's desk rang. Takagi listened but found that the half of the conversation he was hearing was not particularly enlightening. At one point, Takagi swore that Shiratori snorted with amusement. Or, he would have, if it were any other person than Shiratori. He was too dignified to snort when amused.

Shiratori returned to his desk, his face looked delibrately composed. He eyed Takagi. "Better hope we don't get anymore calls," he said, fixing Takagi with his eyes. "You still don't look well enough to respond to a call. I'd rather not cause you to have a relapse." Takagi could almost hear him add, _And I want to cover my own hide. If you get sick again because I took you out on a call, I'll be the one to get in trouble since I'm your superior and should know better._

Takagi shrugged, "If we do, I will deal with it. I do feel much better," and turned back to the paperwork that had accumulated on his desk. The next half hour or so passed quietly with only the sound of pens moving across paper and the shuffling of those papers.

The door to the office slid open startling both the officers. In trudged a number of tired looking detectives as they stumbled to their desks. More than a few looked like they had been rolling around in a garbage bin.

Takagi opened his mouth to ask when one (hard to tell under the muck who he was) interrupted, "Don't ask. Please, just don't ask. You'll probably find out soon enough."

There was muttering from the group, "Showers or reports first?"

"You heard the inspector _and _superintendent! Reports first!" which was accompanied by groans all around.

Takagi held his tongue and looked over at Shiratori.... who looked liked he trying to not laugh. _Maybe that is what he was talking on the phone about? _Takagi considered as he turned his attention back to the papers on his desk, trying to ignore the smell that was now beginning to spread through the office.

A little while later, Sato, Chiba and a few others showed up. They began to mercilessly rib those that reeked. Takagi listened close and found that it too all his self control not to laugh. _I'll have to get the details later from her!_


	36. Day 37

I discovered a new hobby. Making Shiratori uncomfortable is _fun.  
_There might not be any chapters for the next month. I'm going to try to make a new costume for A-kon.

* * *

Day 37

Takagi glanced over at his partner-of-the-day, Shiratori. Truthfully, Shiratori could do the follow-up questioning on his own but, for some reason, had insisted that some, _anyone_, come along. For some reason, no one would go along with him and they all looked rather amused as they turned him down on the offer to ride along. Shiratori appeared both grateful and amused that Takagi agreed to go along with him.

If anyone had asked, Takagi would admit that curiosity was the reason he agreed to go along with the one person he considered his greatest rival for Sato's affection.

Another glance at Shiratori showed that he was whiter than he had been a few minutes before. Shiratori gripped the steering wheel tightly enough to turn his knuckles white.

Finally, they pulled up to a rather upscale apartment complex. Shiratori sighed as he stepped out of the car. He cast an unhappy glance at the building before straightening his body and striding to the entrance.

"Um, Shiratori-san?" Takagi said, walking next to Shiratori. "What would you like me to do for this witness?"

"Just, run interference," Shiratori said, stopping in front of the elevators. "Just keep the witness's hands, ah, keep the witness on track."

Takagi felt his a smile to begin to form. He squelched the urge down. _Is he saying what I think he's saying? But isn't the witness...? Oh, HO!_ Takagi thought, finding it even harder not to smile than before.

They stepped into the elevator and rode it up to one of the top floors. _I see, _Takagi thought, _They'd want to send one of the up and coming officers to conduct interviews with the people with connections. _He mentally laughed. _Poor Shiratori-san._

He followed Shiratori down the hall to the witness's apartment. Takagi tried to imagine living in a place like this apartment and failed (short of winning a lottery).

Takagi found he could not suppress all his amusement as Shiratori gave the door a resigned look but did not ring the bell. Swiftly, he reached up and pressed the bell. Shiratori gave a choked noise as the musical bell announced their presence.

The door opened a moment later, "Ah! You're right on time, Shiratori-dear." The very enfemminate man reached out and took Shiratori's hand and lead him into the apartment. "I see you've brought company this time." Takagi felt like he was being evaluated like livestock. "You're pretty cute, too, but you've got that 'taken' aura so many cute men have." He turned his attention back to Shiratori, "I've been looking forward to this meeting for _days_," he said, leading Shiratori to a plush love seat and sitting down next to him.

Takagi took up the seat next to the love seat where he got to watch the entertainment of the day commence. To his credit, Takagi did try to keep the witness on track as Shiratori questioned him. The hands did occasionally stray to Shiratori's leg, and sometimes a shoulder, but they did not go any further than that.

Takagi knew he would always remember the number of flirtatious looks Shiratori received with amusement.

It was evident to Takagi that the interview could not end soon enough for Shiratori. Not that Takagi blamed him.

"Thank _you_ for coming by again, dear," the witness told Shiratori, as he let out the detectives. He took a moment to hold Takagi back. Quietly, he asked, "Does he always play this hard to get?"

Takagi decided to take pity on Shiratori who looked like he was about to bolt for the elevator, "No, he's usually pretty straight forward when he likes someone. I haven't noticed him to be a shy sort."

The witness sighed, "I was afraid of that." He straightened up and was about to say more when a shriek came from down the hall from the apartment next to the witness's. The witness looked startled, "I've never heard that before! I do hope she's all right. She always has her boyfriend over. Their fights can be rather spectacular."

Another shriek brought the detectives in an instant, Takagi and Shiratori to the door. They could hear what sounded like pained grunts coming from inside. Shiratori knocked hard and asked if everything was all right. Instead, it became silent and there was no answer. He tested the knob and found that it was open.

In one swift motion, he threw the door open. A moment later, red-faced, he apologized profusely and quickly pulled the door closed. He was answered by a request to close the door and that there would be no problems if he did it in the next five seconds, which was seconded by his partner, the owner of the apartment. Takagi could feel a blush on his own cheeks. No wonder she shrieked. That was quite a bit more than he expected.

"Everything is fine. Let's go, Takagi-kun. I need to fill out this report today," Shiratori quickly said, hurrying towards the elevator. Takagi followed him with a glance back where they had come from. The witness gave a forlorn wave before he slipped by into his apartment.

The detectives slipped onto the elevator. Takagi noted that Shiratori seemed to be more at ease the further they got from the apartment. It became even more apparent when they climbed back into Shiratori's car and began to head back to the station.

The ride back was silent most of the way. Finally, Shiratori broke the silence when he cleared this throat. "About after the interview," he said, stopping, to embarrassed to continue.

Takagi felt his own blush come back at the memory. "It never happened."

Shiratori gave a quick nod.

But Takagi could not help but grin as he added, "But the interview is fair game."

Shiratori frowned, "He said something about you being 'taken'..."

Takagi could not help but blush some more but did not say anything. Shiratori was certainly smart enough enough to know who. What he might do about it, Takagi was not sure.


	37. Day 38

Any odd parts with this chapter are me trying to get back into the groove. A-kon is done for the year and now I can devote myself to working on this some more.

* * *

Day 38

Over the last year, Takagi had come to expect a few things from his job. One of them was that Conan or Mouri (or a combination of) would be at the scene of some crime at almost regular intervals. So, when a call came in from one of Conan's friends, he knew that Conan was somewhere in the area.

What he did not expect was that the suspects were all parents of Conan's classmates.

_This isn't going to end well,_ he thought as he glanced over the grim grade school birthday party. Most of the children had since been moved to a back room, away from the grisly scene in the middle of the room. A waiter lay dead in a slowly drying pool of blood. Off to the side, the three chaperons looked at the body with varying expressions of dismay, disgust and nausea._ At least the body is fresh_,Takagi thought with black humor, _they haven't seen anything. With any luck, none of them ever will._

He nearly whipped around as he saw a familiar and small form move behind a table from the corner of his eye. Takagi suppressed a small twitch of a smile. Some things never changed. In a strange way, it was comforting to know that strangely adult child was also looking into the murder.

On another level, he was unnerved. Conan seemed able to put aside his emotions look at a case until it was solved in a way that would make experience officers weep with envy.

Deliberately, he looked away from the table. If Conan was snooping around, there was a strong likelihood that his friends were not far behind. They did not possess Conan's skill. They were still children in every sense.

A telltale opening and closing of the door without any visible heads to the room the children were in told Takagi all he needed to know. He slipped over there and stood in front of Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Genta.

He crossed his arms and gave them a _look_. They shifted guiltily on their feet.

"Can't we help?" Ayumi asked.

"Yeah!" said Genta, "Conan's already out here."

Takagi shook his head, "I will be getting him and returning him to the room. Which is where you will be." _But not after I'm sure he's looked everything over,_ he thought with a sigh.

The Detective Boys spent several minutes trying to wheedle their way past Takagi. He was almost surprised when he managed to get them to return to the room (but not without more than a few complaints on their part).

"They are very persuasive, aren't they?" said a voice behind Takagi.

Takagi nodded in agreement, "Which is why I don't think they'll stay in there. They'll get someone to let them out, Shiratori-san." He scowled at Shiratori, "And I'm not volunteering to stay and make sure they don't get out. Conan-kun is around here, somewhere."

Shiratori frowned in response. More to himself than Takagi, he said, "He does get around crime scenes."

Takagi shrugged. "Which rooms are the suspects in?"

Shiratori rattled off the directions to the rooms. "And I've already talked to them and its pretty clear who the murder is. Not quite red-handed but pretty close. All we have to do is make sure we have all eyewitness testimony." He shifted uncomfortably.

Takagi grinned, "And now it's the kids turn?"

Shiratori sighed, "I don't know how you handle them."

"It's good practice for when you have your own kids," Takagi said. A moment later he could feel his face heat up as Shiratori gave him an appraising look.

"Is that so?" Shiratori murmured before he walked into the room the children were in.

Takagi blinked. _Shiratori-san just walked right in! I wouldn't have expected him to do _that. His eyes narrowed._ I just know he's up to something. He, well, everyone have been too quiet on the relationship front. _

He was startled when one of the officers collecting evidence caught his attention. Taking a moment to mentally chastise himself, he turned his attention to what the officer was telling him.

"...And there is this kid running around, poking his nose everywhere. He's a slippery little bas-, um, kid, um, just like they all say," the officer covered quickly.

Takagi raised and eyebrow and the other man had the grace to blush. "I think I know who you are talking about. Where did you see him last?"

The other man pointed down the hall. Takagi thanked him and trotted down the hall. A childish voice echoed down the hall quietly, just loud enough to be heard if it was being listened for.

A few moments later, Takagi passed an open door and could see the source of the voice.

With barely suppressed amusement, Takagi watched Conan talk to one of the crime scene techs. _The tech must be new,_ Takagi thought. _He's wearing that befuddled that all newcomers have when Conan-kun _really_ talks to them for the first time._

Takagi marched in and leaned over Conan's shoulder, looking at what he was talking about. Conan talked for a few more seconds before he seemed to realize that someone was looking over his shoulder.

"ACK! Detective Takagi! Um, I was, uh, just looking around," he finished out lamely.

Takagi just smiled at him as he grabbed one of Conan's arms and lead him out. Calling back to the crime scene tech, he said, "I'll just get Conan-kun out of your hair."

The other man nodded gratefully and quickly turned back to his work, muttering about uncanny children.

Conan looked very sheepish as they walked back to where the children were being kept. Lightly, Takagi asked, "Find anything interesting?"

Conan stiffened slightly in his grasp before he shook his head no. "It's going to hurt him," he said flatly.

Takagi let go of Conan's arm and awkwardly patted Conan on the head. "The murder's tend to not think of those they hurt, they just want to get their revenge or whatever else they may chose to call it, regardless of the concequences."

Conan nodded in agreement.


	38. Day 39

I'm back on my weekly updates.

This chapter kind of went a bit of a different way than I intended, at least, in relation to one character. I cannot deny the influence that the latest set of DC chapters have had (though this story has diverged from the manga months and months ago).

* * *

Day 39

"...And the system will be scrapped as of today," Megure said. A few moments of stunned silence passed in the room before every detective burst out into whoops of joy, applause, and friendly buffets on each other's shoulders. Megure's mustache did not hide his pleased grin at the general reaction to the news. And not without good reason. Their workload had not been the only one to increase. The higher ups had thought one department had been bad until they realized what would happen if it had been implemented with every department.

Someone suggested getting a drink to another officer. Before anyone knew what was happening, it was decided that everyone would go out for drinks and karaoke after the shift.

Takagi chatted with Chiba on the spur of the moment celebration. In between talking to Chiba about the best party drink (they both agreed that beer was best for this sort of event) and how to get Shiratori drunk enough to do the _Caramelldansen_ on stage, Takagi noticed that the detective who simply wanted to have a drink with his friend looked like he had been steamrolled. He nudged Chiba and they both had a good grin over the other man's discomfort.

A few more seconds passed before Takagi realized that someone was clearing his throat in an attempt to get their attention. He nudged Chiba and they looked at the inspector. He cleared his throat a few more times before Sato decided that it was not working.

"Hey! Quiet, the inspector is trying to say something!" she snapped, causing most of the room to stop what they were doing immediately. Takagi had a flashback to a certain case involving a ring that Sato still wore frequently.

This time, everyone could hear Megure clear his voice, "Ah, as I was trying to say, the system is being put aside but you will have to still wrap up whatever cases you were working on according to the plan." A collective groan rolled through the room. Megure allowed them to get it out of their systems before continuing, "I know it is a lot of work but I believe that those cases can be cleared out quickly." He gave the room a sweeping look before grinning widely, "Especially since it appears almost everyone is well again."

More than a few people blinked at the statement and looked around the room. _The inspector is right,_ Takagi thought, _I guess they gradually returned. The only empty desks look like the people who have the day off. _He blinked again for a different reason, _...Day off? That's right! I have a day off tomorrow. I wonder..., _he looked in Sato's direction. _Well, it doesn't hurt to ask. Later._

Like an excited group of children who were suddenly told that they could not go to the park until homework was done, the detectives grudgingly moved back to the tasks they had been working on before the announcement.

Takagi settled down to the paperwork at his desk. He could almost feel a headache forming even before looking at any of the papers. A bit-off curse from another desk caught his attention. That detective was pounding away at a keyboard with obvious anger. He snarled and gave the computer a look that said it was about to take a trip. From the building's roof to the ground via gravity.

_Then again, maybe paper is better for now..., _he thought. _I'll leave the paperwork for the secretaries to file and enter on a computer._

By the end of the shift, Takagi was not sure if he was happy or disappointed that he did not go out on a call. _Honestly, I was expecting to be called out to investigate. That would happen today. It would be something odd. Oh, and connected to the Mouris or those friends of Conan-kun. _Resolutely, he did not think he was free and clear because his shift was over. He did not want to ask for trouble.

Unlocking his car door, he noted that a number of cars were already gone from the garage, probably to the karaoke saloon. Sato's car was still parked next to his. A flash of envy flashed though Takagi. As cars went, Sato's made most of the cars in the garage look grungy and low class. His own car (a replacement for the one that went boom) was cheap. And next to Sato's, it _looked_ cheap. But with the way Sato drove, there was a good reason she had a car with a good engine.

Shaking his head at his own jealously, he opened the car door to get in.

"Want a ride?" Sato's asked. Takagi looked at her. He had not noticed that she had been standing nearby.

"Ah, um," he stuttered, trying to blush for having been caught for checking out her car.

She gave him a very Chesire Cat-like grin.

_She's teasing me! Again..., _he drolly thought. Swallowing and taking a calming breath, he asked, "Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night?"

She blinked once but her smile did not fade. In fact, it seemed to grow a little bigger. "Okay, I'll come by after work tomorrow." Though she quickly climbed into her car, he could see that she was also blushing.

Takagi climbed into his car, a big grin on his face. As he turned on the headlights, he illuminated Shiratori standing across from Takagi's car. He was arrested by the look on Shiratori's face as the older man stood next to his own car. _Did he witness our exchange?_ Takagi thought, worry coloring his mind. _I don't think he'd be wearing the expression if he didn't. _

Swallowing nervously, Takagi pulled out of the parking spot and headed in the direction of the karaoke bar. He tried to clear Shiratori's expression from his mind but found that he only dwelled on it more. Shiratori had looked... mad but there had been another expression there.

It was not until much later that night, as he lay in bed that he realized that the other emotion had been sadness.


	39. Day 40

This chapter is inspired by Candyland's "Say It In a Sentence" chapter 5 #33. I asked and she said that I could use the idea. :)

* * *

Day 40

* * *

"While it is very nice to cuddle with you, Wataru," Miwako said dryly but not in poor humor, "I'd much rather be doing it on your couch _inside _than outside on a winter's night."

Takagi had to sigh a little. The evening had not gone quite the way he planned...

----

The day started out great. The sun was shining and there was only a slight bite in the air that promised to disappear as the day wore on. The weather reports indicated that the snow would melt during the day. The night was supposed to be a warm, for the winter, night with light cloud cover.

Takagi woke up with an excellent idea for dinner. Shrimp tempura with lightly fried vegetables accompanied by some good miso and a reasonably priced saké. He had to grin at himself. _I'll take it as a sign since I dreamed about it,_ he thought climbing out of bed and beginning his regular morning routine.

_I wonder if Miwako-san would like to watch a movie after dinner? _He cast him memory back and decided that she would baring any interesting cases that might have come up during the day. Then she wold rather talk about them. He shook his head to clear it, _The question is what would she like to watch? Action? Comedy? Drama? A chick flick?_ The last one gave him a laugh. And an idea. While he was not crazy about the movie, he had a sneaking suspicion that Miwako would probably like it.

Frantically, he searched around the apartment for a sheet of paper (there was no way he was going to use a sheet from his police notebook and he would deny if anyone asked) and a pen to write down the idea before he forgot.

He, also, scribbled down the list of ingredients for dinner. Without looking, he knew that he did not have any of them. Or any that were still good to use. Some parts of the pantry had not been explored since he had moved into the apartment. He did not want to know what might be living back there, even though he could recall shoving some tempura batter back there at some point.

The rest of the day proceeded without too many hitches. The day consisted of two trips to the grocery store, one trip to the movie rental place, and an afternoon spent frantically picking up the place to make it appropriate for company.

With a little work and a lot of looking for that cookbook he _knew_ was in the kitchen somewhere (and he could not understand how it had gotten hidden under the utensil tray), he eventually got everything together and laid everything out so he could make it fresh.

Takagi jumped, nearly cutting himself with the knife, as someone knocked at the door. He glanced at the time and went into a slight panic when he realized that it had to be Miwako. _It's all right,_ he told himself. _You are ready. Just keep telling yourself that._

He quickly slid the vegetables into a bowl next to some shrimp, wiped his hands and jogged to the door. The sound of it opening and closing reached his ears before he reached the door.

"Miwako-san?" he said, rounding the corner to the entry.

She stood in the doorway wearing a lopsided grin. "Sorry, I didn't feel like waiting," she said, sounding completely unapologetic. In a moment, she had slipped out of her work shoes and into the extra set of house slippers Takagi left by the door.

The thought that he should buy her a pair of house slippers crossed his mind. The thought caused him to blush slightly. It seemed a rather... intimate thing to do. _But it _is_ a good idea_, he thought, leading Miwako to the small living room.

"I was thinking dinner and a movie," Takagi said, reaching into a bag from a nearby rental center. Nervously, he pulled _Titanic_ from it and showed it to her. He hoped he did right. The popularity of the movie had frightened him when it came out. He suspected that she might like it, though, he had a difficult time imagining her going to the theaters to watch it. But if she did not want to watch it, he had a couple of good comedies and action movies to choose from.

She blinked and she gave him a grin that he could not categorize. Deciding that the smile was a good thing, he proceeded to put the movie in. In another moment, they were on the couch, watching the title screen roll by.

A bit into the movie, Takagi worked his way out of Miwako's embrace to start the supper. In short order, the vegetables were in the skillet, cooking. He reached over to turn on the timer and slipped back to rejoin Miwako on the couch.

A little while later, Miwako sat up, "It's getting a little warm in here." She sniffed, "Is something burning?"

"Shit!" Takagi leaped off the couch and dashed for the kitchen just as the smoke alarm went off. Smoke rolled along the ceiling coming from the kitchen. He noticed Miwako standing just behind him. She grabbed hold of his arm and they quickly left the apartment.

Takagi was not sure who called the fire department but considering how fast they arrived, someone either noticed that something was not right before he did or a fire engine had been in the area. Either way, his apartment did not go up in flames.

In fact, from what he was overhearing, there was only smoke damage. _Hopefully it will clear out quickly._

He sighed. Miwako leaned against him to keep warm. Unconsciously, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in closer.

"Excuse me? Is this yours?" asked a fireman. He held a scorched pan that was crusted with burned batter. Sheepishly, Takagi nodded.

Miwako snuggled in closer to him. "That you tried to make supper was very sweet but you're not allowed to cook tempura again!"

The firefighters closest to Miwako and Takagi nodded empathically and the rest all hollered their agreement.


	40. Day 41

Meh. Not much to say.

* * *

Day 41

Wrinkling his nose, Takagi walked into his apartment. It still smelled despite the windows being open all night. _I guess I shouldn't be too surprised_, the thought recalling a time he burned popcorn. The popcorn had not even really been on fire but the smell had hung around for _days_. And a real fire had not happened then. With a sigh, he worked his way to the bedroom. He crossed his fingers as he opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind him.

The air was much cleaner. He was thankful he had closed the door before dinner last night. Closing the door seemed to make the difference. _I think I can stay at the apartment tonight. I don't want to stay at a hotel another night. Who knows if I can afford it with what I'm going to have to pay the landlord for the damages._

A quick glance at the clock told him that he had a little time to start cleaning up, even if it was just to begin wiping down the kitchen. Quickly, he slipped out of the bedroom and to the kitchen to start wiping the countertops down with a wet rag. He winced as he looked at the rag after one wipe. It was pretty grimy.

He threw the rag in the sink before leaving the apartment, taking some time to shut the windows.

Takagi found himself dreading the day at work. He was certain that he was going to receive a lot of ribbing from the others. At least, Miwako had not really been upset. If anything, she had seem amused when she left for home after they took a quick dinner at a nearby restaurant.

_I guess that's a good thing. As dates go, it probably won't be forgotten. _He could not help but wonder just how the day would turn out.

----

Takagi and Sato followed a patrolman through the gate to a nice house. He felt a little bad that a call about a dead body as soon as the shift started delayed any trouble he might have had from his fellow officers.

Despite the iced over pool, a faint oder of decay waifed through the air. The warmer prior day had been just enough to allow the body to thaw out a bit and begin decaying. The cool winter air helped quell some of the oder but not all of it.

Initial investigation seemed to indicate that the body had been strangled and dumped in the pool and then the tarp pulled back over. By all rights, the body should not have been discovered until spring and, by then, the decomposition would have made it even harder to determine the time of death.

Sato and Takagi were directed to the owner of the house and pool, Nizukami. He waited just inside and seemed to be making a great effort not to look at the pool.

Takagi and Sato eased into the questioning, trying to put the man at ease before they asked him to describe how he found the body.

"I thought it was just a dead animal when smelled it," said Nizukami. "I almost didn't check. I figured it wasn't the first dead animal I found in the pool, so it wouldn't hurt to wait till later. But then, I decided that I had to know if the neighbors cat had drowned. Again." He gulped, his face still very white, "How bad would've it been if I'd waited until it was warmer out?" he asked.

Sato and Takagi paused from their note-taking. They exchanged a quick look. For a moment, they had a non-verbal debate on how to handle the question.

"It would've been bad, Nizukami-san," Takagi said. "We are really glad you did not wait to check. If you had waited, pinpointing a time of death would be even harder."

Sato cleared her throat, "You did a good thing by checking. _You_ did the right thing." Nizukami seemed to be slightly less pale because of her words but Takagi thought that might have been his imagination.

They thanked him and went over to look at the body again before it was taken to the coroner's office. Together, they walked around the pool where the body was being loaded into a body bag.

Takagi's eyes narrowed as he looked at the body. There was something about it that seemed familiar. Had he seen the man before? He turned to ask Sato if there was something familiar about the victim when the blurring motion of the victim out of the corner of his eye triggered the memory of a man on a motorcycle. Frowning, Takagi reflected on the memory.

_When did someone fly by me on a motorcycle?_ he asked himself. _The day my apartment complex was burglarized. Is this the same guy?_ He looked closer at the body.

He had only a fleeting glimpse of the burglar on the motorcycle. It was not enough for him to be certain that the victim was the same person. Was the burglar ever apprehended?

A sinking suspicion settled in his stomach. It was only a suspicion but he knew that sometimes the best thing to do was to listen to that gut feeling that something was not right. He called Sato over to explain what happened at the complex more than a week ago and that the victim remind him of the burglar.

She frowned and considered what he told her. Then she gave him a grin. "It won't hurt to check with the officers in charge of that investigation. Leads have lead to arrests on less."

"I'll call second division," Takagi said, "They can get the paperwork together while we investigate here."

"Good plan," Sato answered. She noticed heads bobbing up and down along the fence. "Looks like people are being allowed to linger," she sighed.

Takagi called to the office and made his request for the information on the other investigation while Sato stepped outside the fence to clear the area (of which he had no doubt of her success).


	41. Day 42

I find it almost amusing that I'm writing about cold, lousy weather when the weather here (Houston) is hovering near 100 F and almost no rain for the last two months. Maybe I'm trying to compensate?

* * *

Day 42

The relatively pleasant weather of the previous day had given way to freezing rain over the course of the night, coating all unprotected surfaces with ice.

_By far,_ Takagi thought,_ this has to be the worst weather this year. _He shivered inside his coat, despite the heater going full blast in the office. He did not need to look around to see that other officers were also bundled up against the unexpected chill.

Once, Takagi thought he heard Megure asking higher powers for there to be no trouble today. The rain was more than enough trouble.

"He's right," Chiba muttered behind Takagi. "I've heard the traffic department is having a very bad day. I'd say that was putting it mildly."

Takagi nodded and suggested, "It might be a good idea to stay away from Yumi-san today."

Chiba paled, "Yeah, she would be in a bad mood. I know she doesn't like cold, wet weather. The accidents won't help."

The two officers quickly turned away from Megure as he looked up and swept a piercing gaze around the room. He was mad and, in their anxiety, Takagi and Chiba did not want to be the ones to draw Megure's ire on the off chance they made eye contact with the inspector.

Takagi forced his attention to the preliminary autopsy that he had been handed that morning by Sato shortly after he walked in. The report supported the initial assumption that the victim had been strangled and then dumped in the pool. There was no fluid in his lungs or any other signs associated with drowning, just the signs of strangulation, which were never pleasant to see.

Underneath that report was the information request from second division regarding the burglaries at Takagi's apartment complex more than a week ago. The rough description of the burglar seemed to match the victim.

_But no one really got a good look at him._ Takagi put down the report and propped his head on hands as he leaned against the desk. _I wonder if any abandoned motorcycles were found? _Quickly, he scribbled a note down to ask the traffic department about that. Then he noticed that Sato had stuck a post-it to the paper with the same thought and that she was inquiring about that.

A smile crept onto his face. That was one of the reasons Takagi was attracted to her. She was clever and got things done with no fuss. The intensity of her drive to see justice done was something Takagi admired and, over time, had discovered attracted him.

He was not sure how long his mind drifted but the moment it came back to the task at hand, he had to blush. This was neither the time nor place to be daydreaming! He quashed the urge to look around and see if anyone had noticed him space out. _With any luck, I won't have looked like I was love-struck and was thinking about work instead, _he thought.

Focusing his mind on the case at hand took a few minutes, a quick trip to the bathroom, and a stop at the coffee machine. The stimulating smell of the coffee off to the side helped clear his mind and he focused back on the case. There was not a lot to go on. With no identification, they were left trying the victim's fingerprints with the hope that they would be in the system.

A quick police sketch visualized the man as he would have looked in life. Looking at the picture, Takagi could tell that it was not going to get them anywhere unless the man had some odd habits or ticks that would stick in a person's mind because he had, quite possibly, the most forgettable face Takagi had ever seen. The victim was average in so many ways that, if someone needed an average Joe, this person was the man they would come to.

The victim's clothing was very distinctive. On that alone, there was a chance that he might be identified. He died wearing a proper motorcycle outfit, complete with what looked like a customized leather jacket.

He noted that Sato had not yet made any comments on it, so he scribbled his own thoughts on a post-it and stuck it to description.

His desk was roughly jolted a second latter, nearly spilling his coffee. He leveled a glare at the officer who had bumped his desk. While Takagi only caught the other man's face as he turned away, he could see that the other officer was... mad.

_What can he be mad about... oh,_ Takagi realized. His partner was Sato. Any officer who was partnered with her and had the least non-work related interest in her tended to get the rough edge from everyone else. Takagi scowled. _That is no excuse to nearly get the case reports ruined because of a little jealously._

After his desk was jarred a few more times (but none as badly as the first time), he was sorely tempted to move to one of the filing rooms, if only for the privacy.

To his relief, the reappearance of Sato put an end to the subtle bullying. She was scowling as she, not quite, stomped to her desk. Takagi judged by the lack of papers that she had not had any luck with the traffic department. _Well, there is still a chance that something will turn up,_ he thought, collecting the file and moving to talk to Sato about the case. _And we are not completely out of leads. We just don't have any really good ones._

Sato's scowl dropped away as she caught his eye. "What do you think of the case?" she asked.

Takagi shrugged, put the files on her desk, and grabbed a spare chair to sit with her. "Not a whole lot of leads. The victim's clothes are pretty distinctive. They might be custom. We could check out local outfitters."

They both looked out the window at the distinctly unpleasant weather. "But, first, let's get a list of places drawn up and call them to see if they do custom orders," Sato slowly suggested. Takagi could hear the unspoken comment, 'so we aren't running around too much in such lousy weather.' He wholeheartedly agreed to the plan.


	42. Day 43

I'm trying to bring some mystery back. It's tricky trying to overcome writing weaknesses. But that's what practice is for.

* * *

Day 43

* * *

"And you should've heard the kid. He sounded just like he knew what he was talking about and not ferreting back what Mouri had told him to say," Takagi overheard a random officer say in the hallway as he walked back from one of the file rooms.

The other officer added, "You need to have a talk a couple of the crime scene techs. They swear that if they didn't know better, the kid was running the show." They both shared a hearty chuckle as Takagi walked away from them.

Takagi frowned. There was only one "kid" they would talk about in conjunction with Mouri. Conan-kun. So many clues and contradictions came back to Conan. Yet everyone seemed to over look it.

_Not that I didn't overlook it before the incident at the Tokyo Tower,_ he thought sardonically. _Are we all so willfully blind to overlook anything he does because it doesn't fit the framework for a grade-schooler?_

He shook his head lightly as he stepped back into the office, files in hand. The mystery of Conan kept popping up. Takagi would try to direct approach if he had not already tried it. The memory of what Conan said still echoed through his mind. 'I'll tell you in the afterlife.' Those were not words to be said by any normal child.

Absently, Takagi shuffled the papers around on his desk. He knew he needed to work on case of the body found in the pool but the longer standing mystery would not leave him alone.

Sighing, Takagi lightly dropped his head to the desk. _I'm not going to focus well today unless someone practically drags my mind away from this mystery._

As if summoned, Sato appeared in front of his desk. "Are you okay, Takagi-kun?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.

Takagi laughed nervously, "Yeah, um, I'm can't quit thinking about something." He sighed again, "And it has nothing to do with this case," he said, lightly tapping the files sitting on his desk.

"Anything you want to talk about?" she asked.

He considered her question. "Perhaps. But not right now. I still need to get my thoughts in order."

"Okay," she said, giving him a smile that made him feel like he could do anything. She flipped open one of the files and tapped the photo. It was a photo of the victim's custom outfit. "But I think we need to visit a couple of places today."

He nodded. They needed to track down where the outfit had been made. That might give a lead on the victim's identity. If they were lucky, they would learn today. If not, well, then they had to hope some other lead might turn up. The police sketch of what the victim probably looked like in life was already on the streets distributed to all the police boxes. None of the officers assigned to them could say the victim was familiar but there was a chance that one might be on vacation right now and see the flyer when he returned.

There was that chance.

But in the meantime, Takagi knew they could not sit around, waiting for something to turn up. Quickly, they drew up the route to take to visit the various shops. As Takagi looked over the locations and calculated the time, he realized that visiting some of the further away places first would be best. "Because," he explained, "We'll hit the beginning of rush hour if we visit them last."

Sato winced and nodded in agreement. Takagi knew how she liked to drive and having an angry partner because traffic was not moving was not something he wanted to deal with. She had snapped at him, the last time. There was a reason no one made Sato upset.

So, in short order, he was seated next to Sato as they headed to the first business on the list. He read off the directions to their first destination near the outskirts of Tokyo. Only Sato did not seem to need directions to the general area.

In fact, she was wearing a rather feral grin. "Um, Sato-...san?" he said. "Are you familiar with the area?"

She blushed lightly, "This is the part of town I take my car to be serviced," she said, lightly patting the steering wheel. "A good car must be properly cared for. Don't put those directions away! I only know that general area. I don't know where that place is."

Takagi looked closely at the area they were passing through and then back at Sato. It was a rather rough looking part of town. He was not really scared for Sato. But he was worried about the the health of anyone who might have propositioned her.

Shaking his head, he decided not to say anything. Sato seemed to be in a pretty good mood. _I guess she actually likes coming over here._ A couple of people waved at her as they drove by. She gave a short honk of her horn in response. There was another grin on her face that he could not classify. _But she seems happy._ Takagi mentally shrugged. There was one thing about working with Sato, he was always learning something new about her.

"Takagai-kun," she said, breaking him out of his thoughts, "Where do we go from him?" They were pulled off at a parking lot by a unnamed fork in the road. Takagi looked down at the map and the written directions.

"Um, we go left and then go past... the first three streets and turn left at the next one. The shop will be the third or fourth building on the right."

"Third or fourth building?" she asked.

"Yeah...there should be a sign with the name of the business, which is _Customs by Fredericks," _he sounded out the foreign name. "When I talked to one of the employees yesterday, he couldn't remember which business they were on the street." He glanced over the map, "But if we still can't find it, there is a police box not too far away. They will know how to get there."

Sato nodded and pulled out of the parking lot and headed the way Takagi directed her.


	43. Day 44

Ug. I want to finish this story (as it is) sooner than October (which is when I'll finish it up at the current rate). But, I'm lacking the drive to write two chapters a week. Any recs on how to get past the lack of drive?

* * *

Day 44

* * *

A harsh beeping cut through the warm dream world that embraced Takagi. Groggily, he peeled his eyes open and turned over and looked at the alarm clock. He reached over and turned off the noise. Rolling over, he dozed for a few more minutes until that one sliver of light that somehow always got past the blinds hit him in the eye. Then he remembered what he had to do that day and nearly groaned.

_Okay. Time to get up. I have to meet with the landlord today. _He sighed at the thought. He could not help but expect the worst. More than a few of his thoughts before falling asleep revolved around what the cost to fix the apartment would be despite the apartment airing out very nicely. Dredging up his memory, he found that he could not recall much of the landlord other than the brief meeting every month to pay rent.

Reluctantly, he dragged his body out of bed. "Better sooner than later," he muttered. The issue of the apartment hung over his head like a cloud. Focusing on work and the cases the work brought was more welcome than dealing with the aftermath of an attempted romantic date. He still felt guilty about ruining a night he wanted to be special.

After a quick shower, he grabbed a light breakfast. His stomach churned too much for him to eat more than a bit. Idly, he wondered why it had not botherd him so much last night. _In fact, I had a really good night's sleep. Maybe I didn't do enough worrying?_ He tried to shrugged off the guilt. What was done, was done.

That did not make him feel any better. The guilt was still there.

He straightened up the apartment a little. It was not too bad, considering that he was a bachelor. _Having a girlfriend, of sorts, does help the place stay cleaner. It looks a lot better than it did a year ago,_ he thought, thinking back to the way it was when Miwako was an untouchable dream.

Steeling himself, he watched the clock, waiting for the landlord to come. On the phone, shortly after the... incident, the landlord agreed to wait until Takagi had a day off to come over and inspect the place.

Almost right on the dot, there was a knock on the door and Takagi answered to door. The landlord stood there, looking way too much like a morning person for Takagi's comfort. "Good morning, Takagi-san!" he said, a grin stretching from ear to ear. "Let's see how the apartment is doing." The landlord took a deep breath as he walked in and hummed thoughtfully to himself. Takagi could hear him sniff the air experimentally but the contemplative expression on the landlord's face did not change.

Takagi watched nervously as the landlord walked through his apartment, closely inspecting it and sniffing the air once in a while. After fifteen minutes, he turned to Takagi, "Well, it doesn't really seem that bad. It's even aired out nicely. From what I can tell, the damage looks like nothing more than some point or soap and water will take care of. How about this, you paint and scrub the place down and I'll come back for a second inspection? If it looks like anything needs to be replaced then, we'll talk about the cost."

Takagi thanked him profusely for his consideration. It was more than he had hoped for. _There is a chance I won't have to pay for any damages!_ he thought, making a list of supplies he would need to clean the place up.

Cleaning his apartment was not how he wanted to spend the day off but he knew that the landlord was being very generous and that generosity was not to be wasted sitting around all day.

The landlord accepted Takagi's thanks and strolled out of the apartment with a light step. _He was worried that it would be worse than what the fire department told him,_ Takagi realized, reading his landlord's body language. _This was a good time to have expectations disappointed._

Quickly, he realized that he did not know where he could buy paint. Or, for that matter, he had no idea what sort of paint to buy. _Uh, I think I'll settle for washing the place down today. I _know_ how to do that and where to get supplies easily enough. Then off to an Internet cafe to learn about paint. Knowing my luck, it'll be a lot more complicated than I think it should be. _Whistfully, he thought back to the days as a child when he went with his father to buy paint supplies. His father never seemed to have any sort of trouble when it came to picking out the correct paint.

_But, then again, we did end up repainting the house every other year,_ he thought ruefully. He could vaguely recall the look his mother gave his face every time he had to paint the house again. _On second though, dad didn't know what he was doing, either. Thank goodness for the Internet._

He ran around the apartment, rounding up the supplies he needed to begin washing down the place. Much to his chagrin, he realized that he was missing far more than he thought. He sighed, "It looks like I'll have to run out for supplies first," he muttered to himself, pulling on his coat and gloves._ I wonder what happened to all my supplies? Oh, I cleaned the apartment not too long _ago, he recalled, remembering that he used up most of his supplies then.

He moved through the walkway quickly to the relatively warmer parking garage and climbed into his car. As he put the keys in the ignition, he remembered that he left the list of supplies on the kitchen. Taking a moment to face palm, he locked the car back up and returned to the apartment to collect the errant list.

Glad no one was around to aggravate his embarrassment, he hurried back to the car and headed out.


	44. Day 45

Day 45

* * *

Takagi stepped back and wiped the sweat off his forehead, leaving a streak across it. He looked about the kitchen and felt a glow of pleasure. The cabinets in the small kitchen shined. The better part of the day had been spent washing down the kitchen to get off the soot.

_It looks better now than it did when I moved in, _he thought. _Well, almost as good, _he amended after noticing some general wear and tear.

The walls still needed a layer of paint but after spending hours learning about paint (far more than Takagi ever cared to learn), he was ready to go out and buy paint and supplies. Then a thought arrested him.

"Maybe it would be a better idea to call someone to paint for me?" He felt like face-palming himself at that moment. "Then I know I wouldn't mess up." He looked at the walls. _It doesn't look like that much but, well, I _really_ don't want to mess up. _He drooped a little, _But I don't know how much it will cost._

A few minutes passed as he cleaned up before he was able to shake off the moodiness. "There's no rush," he muttered under his breath. "The room isn't going anywhere." _Still, it's going to be a while before I have another day off._ His resolve wavered as to what to do.

Takagi felt like he jumped foot as the phone rang. Quickly, he moved to answer his cell phone. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was unfamiliar (and the voice could belong to a man or woman) and asked for someone Takagi did not know. "i'm sorry but you must have the wrong number." The other person rattled off a number and Takagi corrected him (her?) that number was not the one that was dialed. The other person sounded very apologetic and hung up.

He looked at the phone before putting it down. _That was a little odd. I don't think I've had a wrong number in a very long time._ Shrugging, he brushed it aside. A little disappointed colored his emotions. He hoped that it had been Sato calling. Getting two days off in a row was rare enough. She might not remember that he had today off.

A deep rumble caught his attention. To his chagrin, Takagi realized that it was his stomach rumbling. A quick glance at the time surprised him. It was well past lunch time. Feeling good about the work he put in that morning, he decided to run out to a nearby restaurant as a treat.

While washing up, Takagi decided to walk to the restaurant. It was not far and the weather was rather pleasant for a winter day. There was not chance of rain or snow and there was only a slight breeze. It would be a pleasure to walk there. His stomach let out another growl. _Assuming that I don't collapse from hunger,_ he thought as he slipped out the front door. _It feels like my stomach is going to start digesting itself!_

He walked quickly down the sideway, speeding up once the restaurant was in sight. A patch of ice nearly caused him to flat on his rear end. He slowed down because the snickers of a couple of constructions works would have grown into full blown laughter if he actually fell down. Takagi knew that if it had been the summer, he would have been red as a tomato. Instead, the winter air kept his face cool enough to hide his embarrassment.

The warmth that gusted out of the restaurant as he opened the door was very welcome. It warmed the rest of his body. It was not long before he was seated with a steaming bowl of noodles and vegetables. Happily, he slurped down the bowl.

--

Takagi walked slowly back to his apartment. The most recent case was on his mind. He knew Sato would give him a call if anything significant was discovered or there was a suspect in sight. And she had Shiratori's assistance. The thought of the higher ranked officer caused Takagi to twitch. While he knew it was childish, Takagi wished that someone else, anyone else, would work with Sato. Even now, he still saw the other man as his greatest competition. Shiratori was wealthy and due to rise in the ranks. It still amazed Takagi that Sato did not prefer Shiratori.

_I know she likes me but I can't forget that he actually had a marriage meet-up with her. Her mother approves of him. I'm pretty sure. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone with it._ Takagi had heard enough from Yumi to know what Sato's mother was like. _What was I thinking that time when I wanted to introduce myself to her?_

Takagi jumped as a voice beside him said, "Hey! Takagi-kun!" He turned and saw that it was Yumi, leaning out of a squad car.

"Good afternoon, Yumi-san," he said. The speculative look on her face worried him.

"You looked like you were a million miles away." She gave him a fox-grin, "Were you thinking about a certain fellow officer?"

"Um, no," Takagi said. _I was actually thinking about her mother. So, not a lie._ _...She doesn't believe me,_ Takagi observed.

"Sure," Yumi said, "Just keep your head out of the clouds, I've seen three people slip on that stretch of path ahead in the last five minutes." Takagi looked where she pointed and realize that was where he nearly went down on the way to the restaurant.

"Thanks for the warning," he said. "I was just trying to figure something out. I'll see you later."

"Close the window, Yumi," said her more portly partner. "You're letting out all the heat. And Sato-san won't appreciate you flirting with her guy."

Yumi snapped at the other woman while coloring up. Takagi could feel heat rise in his face. He shook his head and head back down the sidewalk (taking care to avoid the icy patch). The day was not over yet and he still needed to see about paint.


	45. Day 46

Day 46

* * *

The urge to walk to the nearest wall and start beating his head on it was an urge Takagi stomped down on. Standing in front of him were five, very familiar, and very inquisitive children.

"What sort of case are you investigating, Detective Takagi?" asked Ayumi, not quite innocent curiosity shining from her eyes.

Takagi refrained from looking back at the tailor shop he just walked out of. There was no sense in encouraging them. Not that he was sure that would stop them.

"Detective Takagi, are you all right?" Genta asked. "You look, I don't know, kind of pale." He pulled his backpack off and rummaged around it. "Food'll help. That's what mom says, anyway."

"Ah, thank you but no. It's nothing. Really," Takagi said, shook his head and wandered back to his car. He could almost feel the eyes of the children follow him. Chancing a glance back, he could see that, yes, they were watching him and none too subtly either.

_I wish Sato-san was here. She's good at deterring people. _He thought about that a moment. _Except even she has trouble with these kids. They're too clever by half. And Conan-kun and Ai-chan are the worst. I dare say they even _encourage_ the others with the facts they give. Facts that very advanced for kid to know._

Takagi wanted to sigh. Now that he really thought about it, Conan was not the only child he knew that was not 'normal.' _I wonder if I can reason them away in a way that normally doesn't work with children? They already know more than most ever know._  
With some effort not to rub his temples from what felt like an oncoming headache, he turned to the children. "Look, I know you want to know what I'm doing but I really can't afford to be dragging you around. Sa-, my partner is off today and I have to continue with the investigation as we planned unless something comes up." He knelt down so he was almost on eye level with them, "You have been a big help in the past but I can't afford to change my plan today. If I have you along, everything will have to be changed to accommodate additional people."

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta looked disappointed at his statement. Takagi thought that Conan also looked disappointed but he almost seemed relieved, too. Ai he found hard to read. She was a quiet child but when she spoke, well, Takagi did not know what to think of her. He did not think children were normally that reserved. _I don't need any more mysterious children. Conan-kun is more than enough. I don't think I could handle two of the them._

The three more normal members of the group gave Takagi a look that was strongly reminiscent of the 'kicked puppy' look, as he tried to get them to stop bothering him.

--

Resigned, Takagi allowed the Detective Boys (which he used to think was an ostentatious name but after they showed that they caught details the police missed he knew that it was frighteningly accurate) to climb into his car. They chatted excitedly about what they hoped the case was about and what they could do to help.

Despite his efforts, they somehow managed to instigate themselves into his investigation by slipping into the shop he just left. Secretly, he was relived that they seemed leave rather quickly. Judging by the scowl on the owner's face, he knew why. Now, they were sitting in his car, waiting for the next destination.

Takagi planned to drop them off at Professor Agasa's. A quick call to the aging man and a few desperate words had Agasa promising to stick around and get the kids out of his hair.

_There are places I'm going that _I_ would get in trouble for bring kids into. And Sato-san might chew me out for going into alone. But it can't be helped. _He looked into the review mirror at the part of town he was just in. He pulled his eyes back to the road and asked, "What were you kids doing there? That's not the sort of place you should be."

He could hear the children shift around guilty in the back seat. The unchildlike quality of the muffled snort from the passenger seat caused him to turn his head and look at the boy seated there.

"Well, you see, we wanted to help Conan-kun and Ai-chan," Ayumi began.

"Yeah! They were going to go off to investigate something by themselves," Genta added, sounding put out that their two friends had been planning on leaving them behind.

Takagi looked at Conan from the corner of his eye. The bespeckled boy caught his glance and shifted uncomfortably in the seat. Conan muttered, "They weren't supposed to come along." Disgruntled muttering came from three of the children in the back. They gave the impression that they had to do everything together all the time or they were not friends.

Takagi's raised his eyebrows but turned away from Conan and back to the road. Silence permeated the car as the children seemed to search for something to say.

A heavy sigh escaped Takagi. "Okay, look, I know you all are unusually capable and intelligent for your age," he almost stopped when he noticed Conan flinch, "but there are some parts of town that just aren't a good idea to visit, _especially_ for children."

"Okay, I understand Detective Takagi. No more going to the part of town without an adult," Conan chirped, causing Takagi to twitch. Conan's response sounded so artificial. As did the other children's response. Takagi mulled over it a moment the sighed mentally when he realized he left them on opening. _Somehow, they are going to talk Agasa-san into taking them. I just know it._

As he pulled into Agasa's neighborhood, they let out a cacophony-filled round of complaints. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. They just figured out that he was not taking them with him.

He parked in front of the eccentric inventor's home. Grudgingly, they climbed out of the car.

"I'm sorry to do this to you," he said, "But I really can't take you where I'm going. You aren't even peripherally involved this time. I will get in trouble if I take you now and may not be able to take you around in the future."

They looked horrified at the prospect of being totally forbidden from police investigations. He pulled away from the house. In the review mirror, he saw Genta kick a rock and slip into a slouching sulk with Ayumi and Mitsuhiko trying to cheer him up. Conan and Ai looked like they were in a conference, throwing glances back the way they just came from.


	46. Day 47

Any errors are due to the fact that I'm too lazy to properly proof-read this chapter. :p

* * *

Day 47

* * *

Takagi followed Sato out of the elevator and to her parked car. He had to move quickly to keep up with the pace she set. A call came in from one of the contractors hired by the city government to clear debris out of the local waterways.

A motorcycle that fit the description of the burglar from Takagi's apartment complex. The description of it in the system had sent up flags that had been forwarded to Sato just half an hour earlier. After talking to the man who pulled it up, they decided that they needed to check it out while the vehicle identification number (VIN) ran through the system. The license plate was missing and the VIN scratched up but a couple of possible numbers had come up. The people at the yard knew how to read numbers from attempts to remove them.

Both the officers hoped that a name would come up very shortly. They knew just how efficient the police department was at gathering information. A VIN was a very good place to start.

The drive passed quickly, with Takagi and Sato throwing around the information that they knew, speculation, and Takagi giving directions to the junk yard where the motorcycle was located. Depending on how good it matched the description decided if it was to be scrapped or if it would be moved into evidence.

Sato pulled her car up to the gate of the junkyard. She flashed her badge at the employee manning the gate and was waved in. Takagi pointed to the garage, "The owner said he was keeping it in the garage." His partner nodded and parked next to the painted steel building.

They step out of the car into the nippy air and walked into the little building set off from the garage for an office. A bell above the door rang as they stepped into the little chilly office. "Excuse us," Takagi called out, projecting his voice.

A man in greasy overalls came through a door that lead to the garage. He wiped his hands on a greasy rag. He nodded to them while he grabbed some wipes that removed the rest of the grease. With a big grin, he finally shook their hands. "Good morning. Sorry about that. I've learned other people care about grease," he said, laughter underlying his words. "I'm the owner, Shibata. How can I help you today?"

Sato returned his friendly grin before her face became more serious, "We're with the police. We talked with you earlier today about a motorcycle your company found."

He blinked, like he had not been expecting them just yet. Takagi noticed a slight shrug. "It's in the garage. I stuck it an unused space," he lead them through the maze composed of disassembled automobile parts to a relatively clear space near the garage door. The only thing there was something, quite possibly the motorcycle, cover in a blue tarp. Shibata said, as he moved to remove the tarp, "Let me know if this is evidence. Despite the water damage, I can do something with this. It's too much of a beauty to simply scrap."

Sato let out an appreciative whistle as the tarp was thrown off, uncovering the motorcycle underneath. Mentally, Takagi echoed Sato's whistle. It was a beautiful bike despite the scratches and the river muck stuck to it. And it was vaguely familiar to Takagi. The notes in hand did a better job of describing the bike of the burglar and this one did more than a fair job of matching the description than anything he could remember right now.

Shibata grinned at their reactions. "I'm going to be in the office. Best to do it while I'm cleaned up. My sec doesn't like grease on the paperwork," he said with an amused laugh. He excused himself and worked his way through the maze with hardly a glance.

Sato pulled on a pair of gloves. She chuckled, "Not that the gloves will make much of a difference. There won't be any finger prints left."

Takagi began to pull on his own pair (better safe than sorry) when he wondered out loud, "Did we call anyone in the forensics department to come by to take photos?"

Sato blinked and face-palmed herself. He could hear her mutter, "I knew I was forgetting something." She sounded a little embarrassed as she asked Takagi if he would call for a photographer.

He had his cell phone out the moment she realized that they had forgotten to get photos arranged and dialed as she asked him call.

Arranging the photographer only took a few minutes. Takagi turned his attention back to Sato. She was reading over the copy of the burglary report and glancing at the motorcycle every now and then. She handed to folder to Takagi so he could make his own observation.

The next few minutes he spent focusing on the description of the motorcycle and the burglar. The victim fit reasonably well, from what he could recall. While the description of the motorcycle was sketchier than he liked, considering the speed at which the driver had been going, he was almost surprised that the description was as good as it was. He looked at the bike, _On the other hand, it is hard to forget a bike like that. I just wish I could remember more than the color. _He would not admit it to anyone but he was embarrassed that he did not get a better look at the motorcycle as it had flown by.

The report in hand was actually a relief. The descriptions given by the witnesses meshed well. Inconsistencies and inaccuracies could easily be explained by knowledge (of vehicles, motorcycles in particular), age (he still remembered the case where the elderly man still called 'green' 'blue'), and interest. The important details matched up.

"Takagi-kun," Sato said, startling Takagi. "The photographer is here."

"Ah, sorry, let me get out of the way," he said, moving away from the motorcycle. "Any of the forensic people here yet?" he asked.

Sato shook her head and was about to say something when her phone rang. "Hello? Sato speaking," the expression on her face became intense as she listened to the other person. She quickly scribbled some information in her notepad. A minute later, the conversation ended. Turning to Takagi, she said, "The owner of the vehicle has been identified. The koban officers in his neighborhood report he hasn't been seen for some time."

In the next few minutes, a member of the forensics team showed up (and was throughly intimidated by Sato as she barked at him to take the motorcycle up as evidence) and the two detectives headed out to learn more about the missing owner.


	47. Day 48

I liked writing this chapter. Some things finally started to come together for me. :)

* * *

Day 48

Unconsciously, Takagi touched his jacket where the inner pocket was located. He felt compelled to double and triple check that the evidence bags were still there. As it was, they had almost no weight but he could just feel the seal of the plastic bag through the fabric. He had to remind himself that only Sato knew he was carrying the evidence.

It had taken a while to locate some hair from the missing man's home. The place was eerily clean. There was no hair caught in a comb or brush, none stuck in the small shower drain, and not even one strand in a corner somewhere.

Unhappily, and feeling they were a disgrace to their job, the crime scene investigators gave him the few strands of hair they found. Each hair was bagged individually and carefully labeled. Superficially, each hair looked similar but they would have to have a DNA test ran to determine if they matched each other and if they matched the victim.

When Sato had learned about the apartment, she went still. Takagi believed he had done the same thing when he learned that information. That was not natural and spoke of bigger things. It worried him a ways that he did not want to think about.

"But what does a weekend biker be involved in that would merit that kind of treatment?" Sato mused out loud, staring past Takagi at the desk they had spread the case out on.

Takagi shook his head. He kept asking himself the same thing but had yet to come up with a satisfactory answer or any real answer at all that did not fall into the realm of the preposterous and improbable.

"When does the lab open?" Takagi asked. He flushed a little, "I can't remember and I'd rather drop the evidence off personally."

Sato blinked. She looked at her watch, "I think they'll be getting back from lunch in a little bit." A beat passed and they both realized that they had worked through the normal lunch hour.

"So, drop this off and then we'll get lunch?" Takagi asked. He always kept an uninspired bowl or two of ramen in a desk drawer. But he hoped that Sato would want to go out. Talking about a case over a good meal was much better than sitting at his desk eating something that only required hot water.

Sato nodded, "I need to get out and stretch, anyway. Why don't we head down now? I know that there are one or two workaholics down there. I'm sure we can get the evidence processed a little sooner."

Takagi nodded in agreement. They locked up the room as they walked out and headed to the elevator. Again, Takagi found his hand resting on the pocket. The lack of any trace evidence in the apartment bothered him greatly. What would happen if the few samples they found disappeared? The thought made him stop in the middle of the hallway. "Sato-san," he said, quietly.

She stopped and turned towards him. "What's wrong, Takagi-kun?"

"I was wondering what would happen if the evidence of the apartment was 'misplaced.'" He looked at her, "This is all that was found and the circumstances are more than unusual." His voice dropped further, so that Sato had to step closer to hear him, "I know it is against procedure but what if we held back one of the evidence bags?"

The ensuing silence seemed to drag on. Takagi noted that the hallway was surprisingly empty but he suspected that was going to change soon as he could hear voices down the hallway and the elevator dinging up each floor.

Abruptly, she grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the room they just came from. A few moments were lost in fumbling to unlock the door. Once the door was unlocked, she nearly shoved him into the room and closed the door behind her, locking it. She hissed, "Do you know what you are suggesting?"

Takagi nodded quickly. The intense look she was giving him was giving him chills and not the good kind either. He swallowed, "Look, if I'm wrong, I-I will accept the consequences. I'd rather be wrong. The whole thing with the apartment was wrong. No one lives that clean. There weren't _any _fingerprints, Sato-san! That's unnatural and very suspicious. It's just _wrong!"_

The very air in the room seemed to still as Sato closed her eyes and appeared to be counting. Takagi was sure that less than a minute passed but it felt like longer before she said anything. "You have a point, Takagi-kun, but sometimes, _sometimes_, you have a tendency to act without thinking an idea through all the way, running off and doing something, even if it is right or a good idea, without sharing it. It has gotten you into trouble in the past. First, we should talk to Inspector Megure about your suspicions." She pinched the bridge of her nose, "I've been trying not too think too hard about it because, without caution, this sort of thing has gotten officers killed. Usually by organized crime. Some of the Yakuza groups are _very_ well organized."

Takagi walked back to the table the case files were spread out on. He opened the file of the missing man, "Nothing in his file indicates that he's ever been anywhere near organized crime. That's the way the whole neighborhood is." Takagi mused, "What if they are two different men?"

Sato sighed, "Then we have two cases to solve. If not, then we have one very suspicious case." She looked irritated, "Usually something has turned up by now or someone has said something. It doesn't make any sense." He could hear her unspoken words, _And now we have an apartment that has been _wiped clean_._

Takagi winced as he thought about approaching the inspector with him suspicions and request. He could imagine Megure's reaction and it was not something he really wanted to see.

"What's wrong, Takagi-kun?" Sato asked, looking up from one of the case files.

"Um, I was trying to figure out how to tell Inspector Megure," Takagi admitted.

She frowned as she considered the idea. "We'll just have to outline the circumstances before we present your… suggestion."

"Wait! Doesn't the inspector leave early today?" Takagi asked.

Sato cussed and looked at her watch, "We still have a little time to catch him. There's no time to waste."

Quickly, they gathered up the report about the apartment and headed out to catch Megure before he left for the day.


	48. Day 49

Day 49

* * *

The clock read 4:39 am. Takagi groaned and closed his eyes again. Only two minutes had passed since the last time he looked at the clock. The last half hour had been spent tossing and turning after he had a hard time getting to sleep.

A sigh escaped. He muttered to himself, "It's too early to get up and its too late to even think of going out." He suppressed the urge to look at the clock. Again. He knew that less than a minute had probably passed thought it felt like a lot longer. He wished he could stop his thoughts from plaguing him.

He wanted to sleep. The whispers of thoughts and concerns did not allow to sleep well. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind would replay and twist what had happened the day before into something more strange and illogical.

With a frustrated noise, he climbed out of bed and walked to the kitchen, not bothering to turn on the lights. He grabbed a glass and filled it with milk before shoving it into the microwave for a few seconds. While it heated up, he rummaged around in the small pantry for some honey. Takagi wanted to sigh when he saw that the chunks in the jar that indicated the honey was all crystallized. He did not want to try heating it up because the last (and first) time he did, it created a mess _and_ burning his hand.

He eyed the jar speculatively, "Hmmm, didn't I hear that it's still good even like this?" A moment later, he grabbed a spoon. The microwave beeped and he took out the mug, taking care not to burn his hands on the mug.

The crystallized honey was easier to scoop out of the jar than he thought it would be. _It's kind of like digging up wet sand,_ he thought. He dropped it into the milk and stirred for a bit before taking a sip. He shrugged, _It tastes all right_.

He sat down at the table. There were a couple of piles on it. Though he could not read them in the dark, he knew each pile contained aspects of the case he was working on with Sato. The case was not as urgent as other cases he worked on but there was something about it that made him think about it constantly.

The previous afternoon crossed his mind. Remarkably, the dreams had _not _related to the impromptu meeting with MEgure, instead, focusing on the details of the case and all the little things that made the case seem off.

The meeting with Megure the afternoon before was something Takagi was trying not to think too hard about. Sometimes, he found it hard to predict the inspector. The man had a great number of cases and experiences under his belt and occasionally would do something that only made sense if a person considered his past. Taking what he knew into account, Takagi still did not correctly anticipate just the reaction that Megure had.

That led Takagi to wonder what happened that actually had Megure agree with their assessment of the situation and actually _offer_ to put the evidence in a secure hiding place. Afterward, Takagi could tell that Sato was just as befuddled as Takagi was regarding the whole thing.

"I thought it would take more to get him to come around," she observed.

Takagi frowned as they headed down to processing for the evidence they were not holding back (which he still did not like doing), "It's almost as if he knows something we don't know...," he trailed off.

He had exchanged a look with Sato. Neither of them said anything.

Lightly shaking his head to clear his mind, Takagi gulped down the warmed and sweetened milk. Resolutely, he resolved to go back to bed and not cave into the urge to turn on the light and look through the files or think about the case in any form until he had to be up for work.

When he thought about it later, he was surprised that he actually did go back to bed without taking any time to look through the files. They seemed to have an almost magnetic pull on him when he was in the room.

Instead, Takagi thought about the soft bed waiting for him and he thought about drifting off to sleep. A yawn caught him unawares as he walked back the the bed.

_Looks like the milk is doing it's job,_ he thought. The dark form of the bed looked very inviting and he took the invitation and climbed back into bed.

The next thing Takagi knew was that he was going to destroy his alarm clock. If he could reach it. The incessant beeping cut through the warm blanket of sleep. Sticking his hand out from under the warm sheets, he felt along the dresser, hitting it, trying to find the alarm clock. Groaning, he opened his eyes. Of course, he was hitting too far to the right. Groggily, he turned of the incessant beeping and rolled back over and closed his eyes.

Abruptly, he sat straight up. "I'm going to fall back asleep if I don't get up now," he muttered to himself, dragging himself out of bed and to the bathroom for a quick shower to wake up.

Stepping straight into the tiny shower, he yelped as the cold water hit him. Shivering, he suppressed the instinct to leap out of there and forced himself to endure the temperatures as the water warmed up.

Eventually, Takagi staggered out of the bathroom and to the kitchen, where he grabbed a quick breakfast with enough sugar to make his teeth ache to give him some instant energy. Absently, he dug around in the refrigerator for some leftovers. Two containers passed the sniff test and he put them on the kitchen table with the files to take to work. Feeling the sugar rush come on, he moved back to his bedroom and dressed for the day.


	49. Day 50

I had to scrap this chapter two or three times before I could really get it started.

* * *

Day 50

Takagi knew he was not the only person the furtively watch the inspector as he walked back into the room. He could see many of his coworkers take quick glances at the portly man or eying him out of the corner of their eyes.

Word had gone around about him being in a closed meeting with other inspectors and higher ranked officers all the way to the superintendent. Only the longest serving, most trusted secretary had gone into the meeting to take notes.

And not a word of what it was about passed through the rumor mill. There was no whisper or hint. Only the grim faces of the men and women were the only indication that there was something serious going on.

Expectantly, they all looked at Megure as he stood behind his desk and looked out over the room with a measuring look. Then, to the collective disappointment, he sat down and took a file out of one of the drawers.

"I wonder what that was all about?" Sato said, from over Takagi's shoulder. He looked up at her and saw that she was frowning.

"Who knows?" Takagi said. He winced at buffet she gave shoulder.

"You're a detective, you should show more interest," she said, her frown now directed at him.

Takagi held up one of their case files, "I'm thinking more about this. If he's going to tell us, he will when it's time."

Sato stared at Takagi like he had grown a second head. "You're awfully focused today," she said.

Takagi shrugged, "Not really. I'm just worried about the case. I don't like it. It doesn't feel right."

"Well, if it's bothering you so much, go down to the lab to see how the processing of the evidence is going," she said. Her tone indicated that she was mildly irritated with him for not being curious enough for a detective.

_It would be faster to call down,_ Takagi thought. He looked around the room, _But it would be nice to get away from the tension and unsatisfied curiosity._

"Okay," he said, neatly closing the file and putting it on his desk. "I'll let you know how it's going in a bit." Sato blinked and nodded.

"Do you mind if I look through your notes again?" she asked. Takagi shook his head and dug around for the notes. It took him a minute (he was not sure how they got under the coaster for his coffee mug) but he found them and handed them to her.

He headed for the door. "Takagi!" he heard behind him. He stopped and turned. Chiba was threading his way through the desks and chairs that should have been pushed in. "Mind if I come with you, if you are heading down?" the portly man asked.

Takagi smiled, "I don't mind."

They walked to the elevator together. "Where are you headed?" Chiba asked.

"Down to the lab," Takagi said, absently, "I need to check on the status of some evidence." Then, he asked, "Where are you going for lunch?"

Chiba blinked, "How'd you know?" Takagi chuckled at the chagrin on Chiba's face as his stomach let out a very audible grumble. "I was going to run down that burger place, the one with those curly fries." Takagi nodded. He knew the place. The food was a little greasier than he cared for but once in a while it hit the spot.

The elevator slowly approached their floor. It appeared to be stopping every other floor, at least. Jokingly, Takagi suggested, "Maybe it would be faster to take the stairs?"

Chiba snickered. "For you, maybe. The only way I'd get down that fast would be to tumble."

* * *

Takagi looked around the room. No one was at the main desk but there were plenty of people milling around in the back in one of the on-site labs. Patiently, Takagi waited. Eventually, someone would see him and come to help. Eventually. In the mean time, he sat down on one of the chairs set aside for visitors and thought about the case.

His thoughts were interrupted a minute later. "You were down here a couple of days ago with the best looking division one detective, weren't you?" asked an unfamiliar voice. Takagi looked up and saw a tech that looked vaguely familiar.

Takagi simply nodded as he stood up. He could not disagree with the statement of being with 'the best looking division one detective.'

"How can I help you today?" the tech asked, picking absently at a fingernail.

"We were wondering the progress on the evidence we brought down," Takagi said. He pulled out his notebook for the evidence number.

The tech waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I know what you're talking about. Gimme a minute to see how the processing is going," he said, trotting around the corner.

He was about to sit down again when the tech came back (Takagi was glad he had the name written down from the day before because he could not remember the man's name). A frown stretched across the other man's face. "I can't find it right now. I'm going to back and do a little more checking. Could I have the name and evidence number to make sure I simply didn't overlook it?"

"No problenm," Takagi said, accepting the notepad he was offered. He wrote down the evidence number and checked the kanji to make sure he was writing the man's name correctly. With a name like Imai, he wanted to make sure it did not use some obscure kanji that happened to sound like common ones.

"Thanks," said the tech, trotting back off around the corner. The minutes stretched onward as Takagi waited and worried. _It is sure taking a while to locate the information. I wonder if the organization back there is as confusing as it is upstairs? No, he would know his way around._ The worry increased when he saw the tech head back into what he knew were the labs. Through one of the windows, he could catch a glimpse of a conversion. The tech was followed a minute later by another man and they went back to where Takagi assumed the file room was.

Takagi looked at his watch. He had been down there nearly half an hour when the two men came out. "We're sorry but we can't seem to find the information right now. Would it be a problem if we called you later today after we do a better job looking?" asked the unfamiliar tech.

He nodded and gave them his deck and cell numbers, "Please call anytime today. If you don't know until after I'm off shift, you may call my cell number."

They nodded and apologized for the inconvenience before Takagi headed back up to let Sato know.


	50. Day 51

I've tried uploading this file many times but kept getting an error message. Then I got the brilliant idea of opening an old chapter in the document manager and saving it over that. :)

I'm trying to get this story done quickly. We are literally in the home stretch with 9 chapters after this one. I currently have 2 1/2 done and parts of one or two started.

I'm going to try to get out two chapters a week. Reviews are very encouraging but I can't take suggestions at this point. I have stuf planned out.

* * *

Day 51

* * *

Takagi stared at the child standing in the next line over. He did not fidget and did not look bored. He calmly read a mystery magazine in his hands as he waited his turn in line. The image was ruined moment later when the child's mother came up with a hand basket and the boy began to talk to her in a truly innocent manner.

Takagi shook off the surreal feeling that had arisen when he saw the boy. Mentally, Takagi found he had to laugh at himself. _There was no way that could've been Conan-kun. He doesn't live in the area. What would he be doing picking up a mystery magazine over here when he can get them closer to home? _But he could not deny that Conan had a tendency to show up in unexpected places. _And that he happens to show up around some officers more than others,_ he thought, sighing softly. His own experiences flitted through his mind.

"Excuse me, sir?" said the cashier, interrupting his thoughts. "Is there a problem?"

Takagi flushed and shook his head. He handed her the basket and she began to check out his groceries.

A few minutes later, Takagi walked back to his apartment. It was cool but tolerably so once he got moving. Mentally, he ran down the list of groceries, making sure he had not forgotten anything. Inwardly, he was immensely pleased he had not forgotten anything. This time. In fact, he had more than a few things in his bags that he had forgotten in the past and only know remembered to buy.

The walk back to the apartment went peacefully and was relaxing. For the first time in many days, Takagi felt a like his head had cleared some. There was still plenty of work to do with the recent case and the problems surrounding it and the unresolved mystery of Conan. But, for some reason, Takagi felt a little better about it all.

He immediately began to put away his groceries once he arrived home, suppressing the urge to spend the rest of the day looking at the cases sitting in a neat pile on the kitchen table. Sato had flat out told him to not look at it until the afternoon, to give his mind to clear. "Because," she said, "I know one of us needs a break from this mess."

So, he had resolved to do much needed shopping (and possibly laundry and cleaning) today. When he considered how hectic life had been lately, the mundane activities of life were a welcome break.

The phone on the wall rang. Takagi ignored and it eventually stopped ringing and the answering machine picked up but the caller hung up. He felt a little guilty about not answering but if it were work related, they would leave a message and call his cell phone (which saw much more use than the landline).

His curiosity berated him for not answering the phone. He began to half expect that his cell phone would ring next.

When nothing happened, he resumed putting away the groceries. A moment later, his stomach rumbled. Looking at the clock, he noted that it was not too early for lunch. In short order, he reheated some leftovers (definitely on their last day) and had some fresh vegetables on the side. He finished up rather quickly and proceeded to put them in the sink to wash them.

Takagi looked up from the sink as the phone rang. Wiping a hand on the drying towel, he walked over and answered the phone. "Hello, Takagi residence."

He heard a relieved sigh from the other end. "Oh, good, I was afraid that I was going to have to call your cell phone," said the voice of Shiratori.

"Shiratori-san?" Takagi said, feeling genuinely puzzled at the tone from the other man. "What's wrong."

"Her mother knows about you," Shiratori said without any preamble.

Takagi asked, "Whose mother?"

"Sato's mother," Shiratori said. There was some noise in the background. "Or, I think she does." Then he hung up.

Takagi blinked. "Why would he call me to tell me that?" he asked himself. Thinking about it a moment, he realized that if Sato's mother knew and told Sato, then Sato might be upset.

Takagi stared at his phone. Out of all the conversations he thought might have ever had with Shiratori, this one was not one he ever dreamed of. _Why on earth would he even _want_ to tell me that? I would think he'd be happy to see my flop on my face._

Absently, he hung the phone back up, walked to his small living room and turned on the TV. With amusement, he noted that it was _Gillian's Island_ but his mind was not on the show but on the odd phone call.

He spent the next half hour mulling over the phone conversation and laughing absently at the antics of the shipwrecked oddball group. The phone rang again just as the closing credits rolled across the screen.

Takagi jumped up and dashed to the kitchen. He answered the phone and almost cringed at the growl on the other end. It sounded rather familiar. "Sato-...san?" he said, tentatively.

He could hear the growler take a few deep breaths. "Yes, it's me, Takagi-kun. Sorry about that. I'm not mad at _you_."

Cautiously, he asked, "Who are you mad at?"

"My mother," she said, flatly. And she added, "And whoever told her."

Takagi considered asked her what her mother was told but she seemed to take mercy on him. "Someone told her that I had a boyfriend. More to the point, they actually gave her your name." He could hear her mutter, " Not that it isn't inaccurate," before she continued, "Now, she insists on having you over for dinner this week."

"Dinner? This week?" he squeaked.

"Yes," she said, sighing, "I was hoping to avoid this," she added softly enough that her voice would not carry beyond the phone.

"I'll be okay," Takagi said, trying to reassure her.

"I hope so," she said.

Then the phone grew really quite. Takagi thought that he might have lost the connection. "Sato-san? Miwako-san?" he said.

"I'm still here. Um, three days from now, around 7 pm. Okay? My place," she told him.

"Okay, three days, 7," Takagi repeated back.

She gave a relieved sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said before hanging up.

Takagi hung up the phone. Then a moment of pure, blind panic met him. _I'm going to be officially meeting her mother!_


	51. Day 52

I'm calling this post the Tuesday Suprise but it sure beats the old cafeteria food. :) I did say I was going to try to get another chapter out.

And as a bonus, I want to thank my reviewers by name (which I so rarely do, I prefer to PM).

So, thank you for taking the time to comment **Wingg-ed Wolf, benign intent, master of toast** (your handle amuses me greatly),** ami-chan - the frenchie, Unknown 2008, carlmuz, nataeiy1, Red and Gold Phoenix, Cherrysasa, Yin7, Tentei-neechan, chocolatefudgecake** (you have the tastiest sounding handle, it makes me hungry), **Marie Ravenclaw, LunaticV, KeRose** (the length of your first review still leave me in awe), and **StargateNerd**. It makes me happy that you are taking a few moments of your time to leave word on what you think.

* * *

Day 52

* * *

Takagi dropped that Imai case file on his desk and then dropped into his chair. Nothing had come to him or jumped out at him when he reviewed the case yesterday afternoon. It did not make any sense. _I wish it were clearcut,_ he thought, wistfully thinking of some of the cases he had worked on. _But it doesn't fit the standard pattern for a disappearance or murder, even. Usually, we can find the person by asking people they know. Usually it is one of them. Or, with a murder, it still is someone they know but nobody has said anything about the body. If they are different people then they were both 'non-entities' which is rare._

But the feeling Takagi had said that the man who disappeared and the murder victim were the same person.

_What we do have doesn't add up to anything I've ever seen before. Well, maybe in a anime or a mystery manga, _he thought wryly.

A wave of motion broke through Takagi's musing. It seemed to ripple through the room as most of the officers turned towards the entrance to watch Megure enter the room. The inspector noticed that all eyes were on him and he seemed a little discomforted by it. _He really shouldn't be surprised,_Takagi thought, _he keeps getting holed up with other inspectors all the way to the superintendent. He ought to remember that we are a curious bunch who run on rumors and there has not been one reasonable rumor or word to leak out what has been going on in the meetings._

Megure cleared his throat and began to speak, "There is a department-wide meeting scheduled in an hour. If you know of any officers on call, let them know and try to get them back. I have a... request to ask of you on behalf of the superintendent."

Takagi felt his brows shoot upward. He looked around and could see that he was not the only officer looking surprised. Even Sato had a puzzled look on her face. She sat back down at her desk and opened a file.

"Must be something big," Chiba said, standing next to Takagi, munching on a donut.

Takagi nodded in agreement. "But it doesn't sound like we're actually learn what's going on. A 'request' isn't information," he sighed.

"That's true," Chiba said, taking a sip of his coffee. "How's your main case going?" Takagi groaned in response. "Hmm, that's never fun. Glad that not too many cases like that ever come along." Chiba finished off his donut and patted Takagi on the back. He chuckled, "Honestly, I'm glad it's you and Sato instead of me."

"Oh, really? Why?" Takagi asked.

Chiba considered his question a minute, "I think you two are the better choice for this sort of case." He looked in his cup and did not elaborate on his statement. "Hmm, out of coffee. I'll see you at the meeting."

Takagi sighed. He wanted a better answer than that but it was a Chiba answer through and through.

--

"I know that we are asking a lot of you but we know that you can do it. I know a few of you have cases that will be harder to wrap up. I will be meeting with you later to discuss them and see what you might need to wrap them up," Megure said. He looked around the room, taking a moment to look at each officer. "If each of you gives it your all, then you have nothing to be ashamed of," Megure finished up. He sat down, indicating that the announcement was concluded and they were to return to work.

Most of the officers returned to work with new vigor, having been just reminded of their duties and responsibilities.

Takagi felt like beating his head against his desk. Instead, he opted for resting his forehead against it for a minute. Absently, he noted that a few of the detectives passing by his desk murmuring that they were glad they did not have his case.

He desperately hoped that his and Sato's case would be one the inspector would like to talk about because Takagi could not see how they were going to solve it without any further leads. He did not want to have a cold case hanging over his head years down the line. Most were solved quickly, some took a little longer. He feared that this case would be one that would never be solved.

If Megure did not understand that they were at an impasse, then Takagi knew that he would have to live with that mark of an unsolved case on his record for the rest of his career. He blinked and raised his head up, _Sato-san would take it even harder,_ he thought.

"Takagi-kun? Are you okay?" asked Sato as she walked up to his desk.

"I'm fine," he said. "Just a little frustrated."

She nodded. Then a moment later, she grinned, "Well, you could think about _it_ in two days."

_It?_ Takagi thought and then he felt the figurative light-bulb go on. _Dinner. With Sato's mother. Eep!_

Sato grinned at the slightly panicked expression on his face. "Don't worry too much about it. I don't _think_ mom will want to scare you off."

_'Think'?_ _Somehow, I don't feel reassured!_ Takagi thought.

"Sato-san, Takagi?" They turned towards the speaker. Tsutsumi said, "Megure wanted me to tell you he'll talk to you about you case in fifteen minutes by his desk."

"Thank you," Takagi told him.

Tsutsumi waved it off, "You're welcome."

"Guess we had better get everything together, Takagi-kun," Sato said.

Takagi nodded. "It really doesn't look like we've had much progress."

"No, it doesn't," Sato said quietly. She sounded disappointed.

"But it's not our fault that the lab can't find the evidence we dropped off for processing," Takagi said. "I wonder what Inspector Megure will want to do about that?"

"We'll find out in a bit," Sato said, walking back to her desk for her notes.

A little less than fifteen minutes later, Takagi and Sato met Megure by his desk. He lead them back into one of the smaller conference rooms to discuss their case.


	52. Day 53

Hm, I guess it wouldn't hurt to say I have one chapter left to write. :) I've been a very busy writer this week.

This is a rather fast paced chapter.

* * *

Day 53

* * *

It felt odd to put aside the case Sato and he had been working on (he still could not think of it by the man's name, Imai, or pretend that the two cases were not related) but Takagi looked forward to properly focusing on another case rather than beating his head against a case that was not going anywhere. Sato had not been keen on the idea of putting it aside for a few days but orders were orders and Megure had been clear that they were to put it aside for a few days.

Now, he stood in the foyer of a room lavishly decorated in a Roman style (the butler corrected him and called it Greco-Roman) with Tsutsumi, whom he had not worked with since the Ogura case many weeks ago, waiting to interview the owner about his threatening behavior towards a recently fired gardener.

The butler had left a few minutes earlier after asking them to wait in the foyer. They could hear rapidly approaching footsteps. It sounded like someone was running, coming closer and closer to their location. They were startled when a set of double doors burst open, revealing a young woman in a maid's uniform.

"You're police officers?" a young woman said, sliding to a stop in front of them. "Please come quickly! Something has happened to the master. The guests are in an uproar!"

She turned and ran in the direction she had just come from, Takagi and Tsutsumi were hard pressed to keep up with her impressive pace. After a minute, the officers did not need her help to find where the problem was. The general screams and atmosphere of panic drew them like iron filings to a lodestone. Tsutsumi instructed her to stay and make sure the servants and guests did not leave the area.

She pointed them to the room where a woman was still screaming before she went to another room.

The detectives entered the room, the reason for the screaming was evident. A tall, thin man was sprawled under a window, a pool of blood forming under him.

Tsutsumi made it to the body before Takagi did. He checked for a pulse. A moment passed before he began to look for the source of the bleeding as he said, "Call for an ambulance. He's still alive."

Takagi already had his phone out and informed dispatch that an ambulance was needed. Following the directions given to Takagi over the phone, Tsutsumi was able to stop the bleeding and keep the victim (possibly the master of the house) alive until the ambulance made it.

The two detectives spent a minutes discussing what needed to be done before Tsutsumi went down to the front to discuss what happened with the inspector when he showed up and to clean up with the supplies the patrol car carried (as best he could) before rejoining Takagi.

After the crime scene techs showed up and Takagi showed them the first things he wanted collected, he headed to the first room the guests had been taken to by some uniformed officers that showed up with the ambulance.

Takagi almost came to a dead stop when he entered the room where the guests milled around unhappily. By one window, stood Ran, her father was by the liquor cabinet pouring drinks and handing them out to the guests who were pale. There was only one person missing to complete the scene. _Where's Conan-kun?_ Takagi wondered. He almost smacked himself with an open palm on the face. He could already feel a headache coming on. _Stupid question. He's probably around where the victim was found. Or talking to the butler or with some other crucial person or place._

It took him a few minutes but Takagi did find Conan talking to the butler. The grade-schooler looked chagrined at having been caught in the act and added that he was doing it for 'uncle.' It took a few minutes but Takagi was able to get Conan to tell him what the butler told him before sending back to the room with the guests. I really don't expect him to stay there but I have to try.

Tsutsumi came back a short while later and was able to help with the interviewing of the guests. He, also, brought word back the victim (who was the owner of the house) was still unconscious but would hopefully wake up soon.

"That's good," Takagi said. "Maybe he can tell us who attacked him."

"Not getting anywhere?" Tsutsumi asked.

Takagi shook his head, "All in other rooms or they weren't looking at him or some other excuse."

Working together for the next couple of hours, Takagi and Tsutsumi were eventually able to find a couple of major inconsistencies with one of the guests. Some deft questioning lead to the man tripping up very badly and eventually confessing to the attack.

And through it all, until they had a definite suspect, Conan asked 'innocent' questions that seemed to lead them to the man who executed the attack. Afterward, Tsutsumi had asked Takagi why he had kept looking at Conan like that.

"Didn't what he was doing seem… odd to you?" Takagi asked.

"No. Why should it?" Tsutsumi answered.

"Never mind," Takagi said. "I guess he's just a precocious grade-schooler." Tsutsumi seemed satisfied with the answer and switched to topic back to the reports they were going to have to give at the station.

--

A vicious headache pounded in Takagi's skull as he finally climbed into bed. The follow up paper had been made more atrocious thanks to the pain. He groaned when he heard a loud noise from the other side of the wall. It sounded like the neighbor's children were jumping around.

Takagi winced as another loud crash assaulted his ears. It was followed up by what sounded very much like a… Disney song? Did he just hear something about Hercules? Then childish voices joined in. He groaned and buried his head under his pillow. _Shouldn't they be in bed? I've had a long day, my head hurts, and I just want to sleep._

Reluctantly, he dragged his pillow and ratty comforter off the bed. Then he stumbled into the living room, closing the door to his bedroom on the way out, and curled up on the couch


	53. Day 54

I'm trying to figure out the best way to finish up the last chapter but, otherwise, I'm done writing the story. :) I'm surprised at how fast I wrote the last seven chapters (seriously, I did it in about a week and a half). I'm a little bit at a loss at what to do since I've finished it.

* * *

Day 54

* * *

The work day did not start out badly for Takagi. This was despite the sheer amount of paperwork he had to fill out and file thanks to the case the day before thanks to yet another 'Conan Case.' After returning from the case, Takagi had overheard Megure talking to another inspector about the possibility if making a new set of forms for cases involving Mouri, Conan, the 'Detective Boys' or any combination above. Preferably something easier and less time consuming for the officers involved.

_Of course, he'd want simplified forms. He's been in charge of more than a few cases with Conan-kun. And the paperwork is worse for an inspector_, Takagi thought, filling out the last form quickly with a speed that only came from lots and lots of experience.

His mind kept drifting to dinner and with who. To his surprise, he was not feeling too stressed about it. _That'll probably change_, he thought.

It took only a moment to turn his mind back to finishing up the forms. He neatly organized them and left to turn them in.

--

Takagi was sweating and trying desperately not to bolt for the door. Someone heard that he was going out with Sato that night. _That's not quite accurate but I guess it is close enough_, he thought, striving not to make eye contact. _I wonder where they heard it from?_

He mentally shrugged. It did not really matter. If he were to put money on someone, it would be Yumi. All that mattered, though, was making it through the day unscathed.

When lunch finally rolled around, Takagi made a break for it and headed to one of the random little restaurants in the area that could only seat a few customers at a time. That'll stop too many of them from trying to hang around while I eat, he thought breaking apart a set of disposable chopsticks for his noodle bowl.

To his immense relief, no one followed him to the noodle stand. He was feeling a lot more relaxed by the time he returned to the station right before the end of the lunch break.

Unlike the morning, however, he was now getting looks of sympathy. Once, he caught the last bit of a conversation, "and with her mother!" causing the other officers to wince.

_I don't know what's worse, the glares or the sympathy_, he thought. Then another thought hit him. _And Sato-san is off today. That means she's stuck with her mother. All day. I...don't think she's going to be too happy about being stuck with her mother all day._ Images of how strained the dinner was going to be flitted through his head.

Swallowing, he realized that the decent start to the day was long gone and he simply hoped to make it through the rest of the workday without any stress.

His mood was not improved by Chiba's comment later in the afternoon. "You don't look very well, Takagi. You're kind of pale. You getting sick?" Chiba said as he passed Takagi's desk on the way to his own.

Takagi laughed nervously. "I have a...meeting, of sorts, after work today. I'm just feeling a little stressed about it."

Chiba leaned in close and whispered, "So the rumor about you having dinner with Sato and her mother is true."

Takagi gave a barely perceptible nod of his head. Chiba let out a low whistle. "You're stronger than I am. I'd probably be throwing up if I were you."

"You're not helping," Takagi muttered, picking at a file.

Chiba shrugged and walked back to his desk.

Takagi forced himself to focus on the task at hand, mainly the additional paperwork that somehow always managed to be missed for unusual cases (namely Mouri and Conan).

--

Tugging nervously at his collar, Takagi locked his car door and walked towards the apartment. _I'm still outside and already feel out of my league!_ he thought, feeling overwhelmed by the place, even though he had been there before, because of what was about to happen.

He remembered Chiba's comment about throwing up and knew that Chiba had only been premature in the comment. _I sure feel sick right now, _Takagi mentally groaned.

A quick glance at his watch showed that he was still early. _I need to calm down. Being this nervous won't impress anyone in the slightest._ Using a few of those minutes, he walked around taking deep breaths. Feeling calmer, he ascended the stairs and walked to the apartment.

Cautiously, he pressed the buzzer. The door opened only a moment later to show an older woman who looked something like Sato.

She gave him a once over that impressed him. Seeing nothing that she could immediately object to, she asked civilly, "Are you Takagi-kun?"

Takagi smiled (in what he hoped was not strained) and confirmed that.

"Just let him in, mother!" Miwako yelled from further in.

Her mother winced a little at her daughter's behavior but did politely invite Takagi in.

--

It was hours later when the dinner finally ended. To Takagi's amazement, it had gone wonderfully. It had only ended because Miwako had to be at work the next day. Otherwise, Takagi suspected, it would have gone well on into the night. She had told him, "Even it you don't have work tomorrow, I do."

Reluctantly, Takagi left the apartment. He felt far, far lighter than when he had gone in. _I think I made a good impression, _he hoped. _If anything, her mother looked relieved. _He sweat-dropped remembering the match-up her mother had tried with Shiratori. _But I guess she's glad Miwako-san is actually dating. Er, I don't want to think of her reaction when she knows just how serious I am. She just might see me as a stepping stone for her daughter to go into bigger dating pools._ The last thought cut through some of the good feelings but he realized that he would have time to get Miwako's mother to actually know him. _It just might take awhile._


	54. Day 55

Mummified bodies aren't that good to see in person. I think they are seriously creepy. Check back Tuesday for another update!

* * *

Day 55

* * *

Picking his way through the exhibits, Takagi slowly made his way through the museum and the special exhibit from Egypt. The coffins and, especially, the mummies unnerved him. They were dead bodies after all. The plaques did not help either. Some of the mummies had died of natural causes but there were a few that had been murdered.

_Well, the plaque says that it could've been an accident, _thought Takagi, _but the only time I've seen that kind of wound is on someone who has been murdered. It takes an extraordinary chance for that to happen naturally._

There was no mistaking the cause of death on the next one. A couple of arrowheads and holes from the corpse had been discovered. The mummified flesh made the holes more prominent. The edges of mummified flesh looked almost unnatural with the edges of the torn flesh dried to points.

"Oh, ew!" a girl said behind him, "That is so gross!"

Takagi turned slightly and was surprised to see a group of schoolchildren behind him. And a couple of them were more than a little familiar. To his relief, the self styled 'Detective Boys' were looking at a different case and had not noticed his presence yet. _It's only a matter of time._

Takagi excused himself and worked his way out of the group of children. Some were crowding close to the case to get a better look at the corpse. A couple of children hung around the teacher (Takagi was fairly sure her name was Kobayashi). These children were clearly not enjoying the exhibit and he could hear one ask when they were going to be moving on.

He moved to another case further away from the group and turned so he could keep an eye on them. _I don't want them sneaking up on me,_ he thought, somewhat amused by his attempt to not be noticed.

Absently, he began to mentally account for each member of the little group. He frowned when he came up two short. Conan and Ai were not present as far as he could tell. Then he saw Genta drag Conan away from a plaque he had been bent over reading.

He shrugged. The little blond girl was the one that he noticed was with the group the least. But, she also had a tendency to disappear into the background. _Almost as if she were trying. Well, some children are shy._

Feeling a little guilty (and a little childish), Takagi covertly watched the school group and when he noticed them go one direction, he went the other direction. Or, he thought he had. To his chagrin, they seemed to reappear a few minutes later from right around a corner and he failed to turn back in time to escape notice.

"Detective Takagi!" chirped a familiar girl's voice. Takagi turned to face the too curious Ayumi, "What are you doing here?" She leaned in and whispered (but still loud enough for people within six feet of them to hear), "Are you hear on police business?"

Takagi held in a sigh. "No, today is my day off."

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta looked around, like there were looking for something or someone. "Where is Detective Sato?" Genta bluntly asked.

"She has work today," Takagi said, flushing a little at their suggestion. "Why did you think she's here?"

"Well, isn't this where you'd take a person on a date?" Genta asked.

Mitsuhiko added, "And we normally see you sightseeing or doing something interesting or fun with her when you are on dates."

_And those weren't all dates. Some of them were undercover assignments. And some were dates that turned into hunting down a suspect! _Takagi thought.

"Er, probably not here. It's a little morbid for a date," Takagi muttered. It was fascinating but he felt he saw enough dead bodies in his line of work. "Chiba suggested it. Said it might be something fun to do on a day off."

"Detective Takagi is right," piped in Conan from nowhere. "Would you want to go here on a date, Ayumi?" he asked.

She thought about it and shook her head, "It's fun with friends but it'd be weird to come here for a date."

Genta looked a little crestfallen. It was clear he thought this exhibit was the sort of thing to take a girl to.

"But I think Ai-chan would like it. Too bad she's sick and had to miss the field trip," Ayumi added. "She's smart. I bet she knows even more about mummies that even Conan-kun!"

Conan shifted uncomfortably. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "she probably does," to Takagi's ears.

"Yeah, too bad she's been sick for days," Genta said.

Mitsuhiko looked the most crestfallen when he said, "I'd hoped she'd be feeling good enough to come today." He blushed a little when Genta gave him a teasing grin he quickly followed up with good natured teasing. Conan shook his head and Ayumi grinned at the scene.

Takagi found himself grinning a little at the scene. He noticed that he was getting an amused look from the teacher. She gave him another look that he could clearly read. "Okay, I think your teacher is ready to move on," he said.

The kids turned and gave their teacher the 'kicked puppy' look. He could see her resolve wavering. Quickly, he added, "You're holding up the field trip. Isn't it going to be lunch soon?"

As if on cue, Genta's stomach growled, "Detective Takagi's right! It's almost lunchtime!" He hurried to the teacher and threw back a significant look to the other kids.

Conan chuckled and quietly said, "Genta and food. Just like Pavlov's dog," before he also moved to catch up with the group.

Takagi almost sputtered at the reference. Aside from the truth in the statement, it was a rather esoteric comment by a child. _But I already know Conan-kun isn't a normal child, _Takagi thought, as he went back to looking at the exhibit.


	55. Day 56

Some parts in this chapter seem a little awkward to me but I'm maybe I'm over thinking it.

Comments are more than welcome. Constructive criticism will get a response from me and some real consideration.

* * *

Day 56

* * *

Takagi stood ensconced back in the dark recesses of one of the many file rooms of the department. Megure had asked him to collect a few of his old case files. "They might have some relevance in an on-going case," was all he volunteered. So, Takagi followed the file clerk as they moved from cabinet to cabinet, piling files up on the cart. Each one was marked off on a list as it was pulled. And when they made it back to the front, each one would be checked out with a scanner using the barcode on the front of the files.

It did not take long for Takagi to realize that all the files had something, or to be more accurate, someone in common. Now that they were being put together, it was truly scary to see just how many cases Conan had been involved in. In fact, a number of these files were ones that had disappeared and reappeared later. It gave him a chill that did not want to disappear.

Quicker than he could have found the files by himself (which only the filling clerks were allowed to collect these days), the files were all collected and checked out to Takagi. He made what ended up being a quick stop back with Megure, who wanted to see him as soon as the files were collected. Megure told Takagi to wait while he scanned each file. Most files were put into one pile to go back but some went to a smaller file. When Megure finished, he told Takagi, "Please have these files copied and bring the copies back to me."

It was not long before he was in the copy room, wishing he could put in a request for the files to be copied. But the inspector had been clear that he wanted Takagi to take care of it himself. In fact, he had been told to request that specific clerk to pull the files.

_It looks like Megure is circumventing the procedures some. In fact, he's outright cutting out some steps. It's like how he allowed Sato and I to hold back that piece of evidence. What is going on? _Takagi thought as he ran off copies. _And there is not denying something is going on. There have been too many closed meetings and odd things going on. I know I'm not the only one wanting to know but those who do aren't talking._

His thoughts drifted to the case that Megure had them put aside because of the lack of leads. There had been a few phone calls that identified the police sketch of the victim as the missing man. So, even without the DNA, they were fairly confident they were the same person. _Still_, he thought, _I hope the evidence turns up soon or we can submit the last piece for testing. Irrefutable proof would be nice. I know Sato-san agrees. She's been making unhappy noises about it._

It was almost lunchtime by the time he finished copying all the files. Wearily, he made his way to Megure's desk and put the box full of the copies on it because it appeared the inspector was out to lunch.

He went to his desk and sat down for a minute and stared off into space. Absently, he played with a report that he had yet to file. _Probably should take it down with the others_, he considered but did not move.

Abruptly, he snapped himself out of the fugue. A general rustle indicated that a number of the other officers were coming back from their lunch break. Which means it is time for mine, he thought happily. He put the box with the files to be refiled under his desk (slipping the one he needed to have processed on top so he did not forget it) and slipped out to the break room.

He grabbed his lunch of leftovers from the refrigerator. Staring a moment at it, he decided it was worth the trouble to warm it up. It took a few minutes of waiting and jockeying for the microwave but he eventually warmed up his meal. Seeing that the tables in the room were full, he decided that it would be fine to eat at his desk even though he wanted a change in scenery.

Stepping out of the room, he nearly dropped his meal as he ran square into someone. Fumbling for an apology, he said, "I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's okay, Takagi-kun," said Sato, who looked a little flustered after her close encounter, "I was looking for you anyway." Without preamble, she gabbed his hand and dragged him off.

She let go after a minute when it was clear that he was going to follow her. "So, what do you need me for?" he asked, worried that something had turned up on a case.

She flushed as she led him into an unoccupied, small study room, "I found out how my mother learned about us. I was so angry that day when she called and 'casually' asked about you. It's taken me this long to wear her down."

He felt a little better because he thought there was something really wrong. "That's why Shiratori called telling me about it," he muttered.

Sato grimaced, "Yeah, I was feeling pretty mean after hearing from her. I think I might have snapped at a few people."

Takagi chuckled, _Judging by Shiratori's tone, you had everyone scared._

She shooed him over to the table, "Let's eat and I'll tell you." Then he noticed that she had her own lunch set up there. She noticed his look. "I eat here, sometimes, when I want to enjoy a quiet meal or to have a good think."

_So this is where she disappears to during those lunches. I don't think I'll be telling Yumi. I'd rather have her mad at me than Sato-san._

"Anyway," she began between bites, "I managed to get it out of her last night. Well, she's kept in touch with some of the wives of my father's coworkers. They have irregular gossip sessions. Apparently one of them wanted to know more about the man her daughter was dating." She bit into a sandwich with surprising viciousness. "Mother said she was so surprised that she couldn't say anything for a few minutes. Then she got the details from them."

Takagi shook his head but refrained from saying anything about gossipy old wives. Tentatively, he asked, "Has she said anything about me?"

Sato sighed, "Not much. I think she's keeping me in suspense for not saying anything. But I'm returning the favor by not asking her either."

Takagi shook his head but did not say anything.


	56. Day 57

I had fun writing the first part of this chapter. It's fun putting the boys of the MPD in uncomfortable situations. :)

**There is a strong possiblity that there will be no chapters next week.** I'm taking my first real vacation in a year and will be out of state. If I have internet on Tuesday or Friday, I'll post but don't count on it. Everything will be back to normal when I get back.

* * *

Day 57

* * *

Despite the urge to sigh, Takagi refrained from doing so despite the probability of the witness actually hearing it.

"Hasegawa-san!" Takagi all but yelled, "Could you please give me a description of the person that attacked your landlord?"

"What'd he say, Arisu?" Hasegawa yelled to her next door neighbor who had invited herself over.

"The cute, young police detective wants to know what he looked like! The guy who beat up your thieving landlord!" she yelled back at her neighbor.

Hasegawa squinted through her coke-bottle thick lenses. "Oh, you're right. He is cute. Think he has a girlfriend?" she yelled right back at her friend.

Behind Takagi, Chiba was red-faced. He shook with suppressed laughter. Takagi shot him a sore look and tried to get the conversation back on track. "Can you tell me what the attacker looked like?" Takagi yelled this time (it seemed like that the only volume Hasegawa could hear at).

"Not as good looking as you!" she grinned. Arisu cackled at her comment. Takagi made a concerted effort not to sigh. He was not sure if it was his imagination or not but it sure looked like the two old women were… leering at him. He suddenly felt very young and defenseless under their squinty-eyed looks.

Then Arisu noticed Chiba standing a bit behind Takagi. She _did_ give him a lecherous look. He gulped so hard that Takagi found it was his turn to not laugh. "I get the one back there," she told her friend in what she thought was a whisper. "Finally, a man with meat on his bones!" A snort escaped Takagi this time. He could feel Chiba drilling holes into the back of his head with a glare.

He could not help but wonder if this case was some bad joke or prank they were sent out on. _Shiratori_ is _the one who had us take the call._ Didn't he say something over not having any luck interviewing Hasegawa?

Takagi mulled over this as they finally were able to get Hasegawa to answer a few questions. On the ride back to the station, Chiba said, "Shiratori-san will have better luck talking to the landlord. I hope so. I don't want to go back there and you know he'd have us go back."

"Hey," Takagi said, "Wasn't Shiratori the one who originally tried to interview them. Didn't he say he wasn't able to get a good interview."

It seemed to get quieter in the car for a minute. Abruptly, Chiba said, "Damn, we've been had."

"So it would seem," Takagi said, flatly. Another minute of silence passed when he began to chuckle. "But can you imagine his encounter with them?" Chiba began to chuckle and a minute later was nearly crying from laughing so hard. Takagi and Chiba shared a good laugh at their superior's expense.

"Still," Chiba said, "He's probably enjoying a laugh at our expense."

Takagi considered what they could do about it. He knew Chiba was correct. A sneaky grin stretched across his face, "How about we don't any different than normal? Keep everything in the report straightforward. Don't act like anything bothered you when we give the verbal report."

"Hm, It's going to be hard keeping a straight face," Chiba said, "But it'll be fun."

--

Takagi chuckled quietly as he dropped a copy of the interview notes into the case file. Shiratori had been so confused at Takagi and Chiba's composure. Their apparent unconcern for the witness's behavior (and her friend's) baffled him even further. As soon as they were out of his earshot, they had a good laugh.

He thumbed through the file and snapped it shut. For now, the case was all Shiratori's again. _And he's welcome to it! Dirty old women are not something I want to deal with again anytime soon._

Despite orders, he reached into his desk and pulled out his file on the Imai case. In his 'in' box, he had a new list of people who called in with tips. The officers who took them had taken the liberty of scribbling comments under each name, number and what the person said. They basically listed what the officer thought of the caller. One comment was 'crazy' and another was a 'habitual tip giver.' Still, Takagi knew he or Sato would have to call each person.

Sometimes the crazies are not so crazy after all.

He looked through the tips and scribbled his own comments on a sticky note, putting it on top when he was done. _I don't want to forget what I want to tell Sato-san._

Even with a few days away from the case, he still felt like it was sitting stagnant, festering in a pond that could not be cleared. Unless one of the tips was an actual lead, he knew that it was not going to get any better. Nor, did it help seeing the other detectives clear through their cases.

The day before, Terada had told him that he was still young, that he sometimes a person had to be patient with a case. "A breakthrough may come when you least expect it," Terada said. "You have to be more patient."

Takagi sniffed but closed the file, deciding that he would try to be more patient. _Not like beating my head against it is working._

He debated leaving the tips with his comments on her desk but decided that would be a good way for it to get lost. Instead, he placed the numbers in the file and put it back in a desk drawer.

He pulled out one of the minor cases. He wanted to reread the files before he finished the paperwork. _It would not be good to fill them out without refreshing my memory. _He was so focused with the task at hand that when a hand came down on his shoulder, he actually fell out of his chair.

"Sorry about that, Takagi-kun!" Megure exclaimed.

Takagi picked himself up quickly and dusted off, "It's okay, inspector. I was just a little focused."

Megure looked at the reports on the desk. "Come by me desk when you finish up with those," he said.

"Yes, sir!" Takagi said before he returned to the reports.

By the time Takagi finished up with the reports, Megure had left his desk. About to go looking for the inspector, he found him talking another inspector he could not recall the name of from another department.

Takagi politely stood off to the side and waited for them to finish their conversation. About half a minute passed before Megure noticed Takagi. He went through the motions Takagi recognized as ones Megure liked to use to wrap up a conversation.

"Sorry for the wait,Takagi-kun," Megure said, leading Takagi down the hall back to the office. He cleared his throat, "I know tomorrow is a day off for you but I'd like you to attend a meeting. Sato-kun will also be there. We'll be discussing one of your cases." He let that hang in the air a moment. "Ah, I'd also like you to keep quiet about this. You two won't be the only ones there but we'd, I'd rather you not discuss the meeting with anyone."

"When is the meeting?" Takagi asked, realizing that he needed that information.

"Two in the afternoon. Don't be late," he said, walking back to his desk. "We'll have plenty to talk about tomorrow at the meeting."

"Understood, sir," Takagi said. _But I don't understand. But this isn't the time or place to ask questions. _He refrained from sighing and walked back to his own desk. The workday would be over soon enough. Takagi had a gut feeling that he needed to clear all the cases and paperwork as soon as possible. _It feels like something big is going to happen and fairly soon._


	57. Day 58

I had a good time on my trip. I'm feeling quite refreshed (mentally).

This chapter is a sort of a cliffhanger. :) Still not sure how people are going to like the ending of the whole story but it works for me.

* * *

Day 58

* * *

Food sat untouched on a plate. Takagi stared off into space. He played with the fork absently, drawing invisible pictures in the air. He looked down at the plate and moved some of the food around, almost giving the appearance that some had been eaten. His heart was not set on eating but he forced himself to start eating the meal before it grew cold.

Though today was a day off, he had to go in for an afternoon meeting. Megure had told him yesterday after he finished up with his paperwork. _A meeting on a day off hasn't happened in awhile_, he thought. _But, I don't know, it doesn't feel like any of the meetings I've attended in the past_. Takagi sighed. _Maybe I'm just over thinking it. But, he didn't call any of the others who have tomorrow off up to him. Unless I simply wasn't paying attention. And then there's the fact that there have been a lot of meetings with the higher ups. If that doesn't mean something is up, then nothing does._

After another moment's consideration, Takagi recalled that Megure said that one of his and Sato's cases was going to be discussed. _And the only one we've worked on together recently is the Imai disappearance. It was pretty clear, well, to me, by the references he made_.

He looked down that plate of food. It did not look appetizing as it had gotten cold and the sauce had congealed. Instead of shoving the food around on it, he stuck it back into the microwave and heated it back up. It still did not look all that appetizing but it did taste better warm.

As soon as he finished with lunch, he returned his bedroom and changed into clothing that would be more appropriate. He debated briefly about not going in his usual suit but decided to be safe. _I don't know who might be at that meeting. It doesn't matter if it is my day off. I've worked cases on days off before. Better to be prepared_.

Checking the time, he made sure that he had all the case files organized and with him before he left. The morning had been spent organizing and sorting the files. He could not recall at time that any of his case files were so well organized. Not that they were disorganized under normal circumstances, they simply were not as organized as this one was.

Another glance at the time told him that if he left now, he would be early. Very early. _But I don't want to be later. And, if it's important, there is even less of a reason to chance being late. Especially if we can get to the heart of this case._

He carefully stacked the sorted files in a box and walked out to his car. He had to return to the apartment to fetch his gloves, which he felt like he walked out of the home without at least once a week.

When he finally arrived at headquarters, Takagi was relieved that he left early. There had been a bad accident that backed up traffic in one place. Another road was closed due to emergency repairs and yet another road had been swamped by shoppers for a massive sale being held by a department store.

_It's taken me twice as long to get here as it normally does!_ he thought, feeling like he had already had a full day just from the drive. _Now I'm really glad I left early. I wouldn't be on time if I left like I normally do._

He double checked his car twice, to make sure he did not leave anything behind, before leaving his car and heading to the conference room. No one hassled him as he worked his way through the building, though he did get a few odd looks from some of the other detectives. _Not that I blame them_, thought Takagi, _I'm supposed to have today off. And if no one else is at the meeting, they would not expect me to be here. _He sighed_, I hope they don't hassle me tomorrow._

As he walked to the conference room door, he readied himself to open it without using hands. "Let me give you a hand with that, Takagi-kun," Sato said, from next to him. She opened the door and held it open for him.

He said, loud enough only for her to hear, "Usually the man holds the door open."

She chuckled, "Call me non-traditional." Takagi smiled at her. He walked to the table in the middle of the room and placed his box on top of it. There was a pile of papers in front of one of the chairs. He recognized Sato's writing on those papers. As he emptied out his box, he placed the files in front of the chair next to Sato's.

He put the empty box on the floor, out of the way and sat down. He carefully sorted his case files into a couple of distinct files. When he looked up again, there was a fresh cup of steaming coffee sitting in front of him. "You didn't have to, Sato-san," Takagi said.

She shrugged and put a cup of coffee in front of her own seat. "If you want, you can get a pitcher of water and some glasses. Something tells me it is going to be a long meeting."

Takagi checked the time. There was still enough time to do what Sato asked. "You're probably right," he said, standing and walking to the door, "We are probably going to need the water. I'll see if there are any snacks left, too."

"Okay, thanks," Sato said, snatching the top file off of one of Takagi's piles and looking through it.

A few minutes later, Takagi was back with the water, cups, and some little snack sandwiches he managed to snag from a platter (before the rest of the department ate them all).

Just as he was finishing setting them out, there was a knock on the door before it opened and Inspector Megure walked in with the Superintendent behind him. Sato and Takagi immediately stood at attention for the Superintendent, which he returned, before he walked around the table and sat down at the other side. Megure locked the door behind them and the meeting began.


	58. Day 59

One more chapter to go...

* * *

Day 59

* * *

The day dawned as a beautiful winter's day can. A faint wisp of clouds scuttled across the winter blue sky, the temperature was crisp but not overly cold and there was the occasional birdsong.

It was all lost on Takagi as he groggily pulled on his shoes. Sleep had been evasive last night and what sleep he did have had been filled with dreams.

No nightmares, to his surprise, considering what he learned yesterday afternoon. He knew that he and Sato had only been give the barest of information but what he learned, well, he knew he would be looking over his shoulder for a while.

Right now, he felt like he was living on borrowed time simply because of the Imai case. If only because he was investigating it and it seemed to be linked.

_I need to stop this!_ he thought angrily to himself, _It won't help matters. Look at Sato-san! She's just more determined than ever not to be beat by it!_

He stood up and resolved not be frightened. A little fear was a reasonable caution. _It just might keep my alive. But if I'm too scared to act when I need to, that is far, far worse!_

His resolve helped him clear his mind and head off to work for the day.

--

Not being fearful was harder than Takagi thought it would be. As the day progressed, the urge to look over his shoulder was nearly overwhelming. And he found himself constantly wondering what he could do to secure his workplace. But he had the realization that it was not as secure as he thought it was. With the right planning, supplies, and skills, it would not be hard for someone to take what they wanted. In fact, it could be downright easy. The locks were, as he heard it once put, enough to keep an honest person out.

_I wonder if that how those case files dealing with Mouri were taken before? Wait, weren't those the ones I pulled for Inspector Megure? Shit. How is it all linked? How far back does it go? The inspector probably wouldn't have told us anything if he didn't trust us. Does that mean that he'll give us more related to it?_

He was glad when Meugre assigned him to go out on a call with Chiba. It helped stop the swirl of thoughts from completely overwhelming him.

The case turned out to be an instance of feuding neighbors trying to make self inflicted injuries look like they came from the other party. Chiba and Takagi wrapped up the case quickly and cited each of the neighbors. It had not taken long to find the holes in their stories. It had almost been amusing causing them to trip up and confess to what they did. Takagi was glad it had been easy to do.

He had given a _look_ and the lies rapidly came to light as their stories came apart under his gaze.

To Takagi's relief and disappointment, there were no other cases on call for them. He yawned and leaned against the passenger window as Chiba navigated the downtown traffic.

"You don't look you got any sleep last night," Chiba observed. "That's probably why they caved so fast."

"Huh?" Takagi said, looking over at Chiba, "What do you mean?"

Chiba chuckled, "Have you had a good look at yourself in a mirror? You have circles under your eyes. That look you gave was quite fear inspiring."

Takagi groaned, "I didn't mean for that to happen. I really didn't sleep well."

"Having love problems?" Chiba asked, teasing.

Takagi shot him a dirty look, "I…just couldn't sleep. Weird dreams."

"That's the look I was talking about," Chiba said, cringing at the intensity of it. He quickly turned his attention back to the road, "You eat something that didn't agree with you? Last time I did that, I had some bizarre dreams," Chiba said.

Takagi made a non-committal answer that could be interpreted as a 'yes.'

A few minutes of silence passed while Chiba navigated traffic. "If you decide to talk about what is really bothering you, you can talk to me," Chiba volunteered out of the blue. "Whatever it is, I can tell its bothering you."

"It's…work related. I can't talk about it," Takagi flatly said. "Stupid case," he muttered under his breath.

Chiba winced. "That's rough. Anyone you can talk to?"

"Yeah," Takagi said after thinking about it a moment. _If I really have to, I can talk to Inspector Megure. But Sato-san is more accessible._

Chiba kept up light chatter the way back to the station, occasionally redirecting his thoughts back to the case they just dealt with. Takagi mostly sat and listened but added the occasional thought about the case.

When Sato finally had a chance to talk to him later in the day, she asked, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Despite his attempt to squash the urge to glare at her, he could not completely keep it off his face. He was relieved to see that it did not deter or drive her away. Instead, Sato gave him an ironic smile. "Don't feel bad," she quietly said, "I had a bad night, too. My mother kept giving me funny looks and asking what was wrong. Guess I was kind of twitchy."

"Kind of takes away your sense of security," Takagi stated, keeping his voice down. Sato nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'd better get back to work," she said, "The never-ending stream of paperwork must be attended to."

_She's not kidding either. Everything in triplicate!_ he thought, eying the additional paperwork on his desk from the case earlier in the day. Though they had wrapped the case up quickly, every little detail had to be written down on the correct form. _Witnesses think they have it bad with the accounts they have to fill out but that's nothing compared to this!_ he thought looking at his stack of forms.

Despite his mental complaints, Takagi was happy to focus on something normal. Unconsciously, he knew that sticking to his everyday routine would help. And nothing was more routine than paperwork.


	59. Day 60

Day 60

* * *

Takagi forced himself to refrain from gawking at the sight in the room. It was a veritable sea of blue, moving in a chaotic manner. He blinked and the impression faded. The sight was still something he might stare at because it was only under certain circumstances that there was this many uniformed officers gathered in one area.

A moment later the sight shifted again. The uniformed officers had all merged together to form a blue dragon coiled on the ground. It raised its head and gave a mighty roar. Then it lunged out of the room and flew after an amorphous black mass hanging over the sky. The dragon was joined by other creatures as they fought the black mass. An eagle, a bear, a tiger and myriad of other animals all joined together, attacking the black mass. When a wisp of it tried to escape, another creature attacked it. Alone, they could not do it but together they were utterly destroying it.

He blinked. His room was dark. Groaning, he rubbed him eyes and rolled over to look at the time. There were fifteen minutes until his alarm was to go off and signal the start to his day. A sigh escaped and he rolled over onto his back. He stared at the ceiling until he started to see things against it. Closing his eyes, he considered staying in bed until the alarm went off.

_I should get up_, he thought but did not immediately get up.

After another minute of laying there, he literally rolled himself off the bed and almost missed landing on his feet. A moment was spent berating himself before staggering to the bathroom. Takagi opted for a longer than usual shower and only left when the beeping of his alarm clock began to drive him nuts. He felt a little bad about letting it beep without turning it off but only a little. He felt a little vindicated by it. _Especially, after those late, noisy, nights they like to have. A little reminder that I have to get up earlier than they do isn't amiss,_ he justified to himself as he poured himself a bowl of cereal.

Faint wisps of the dream he had flickered through his mind. When he tried to grasp an image, it was promptly lost and all he could recall was the color or motion. _I__ do know it was an odd dream but that's it_. He tried to dismiss it but the eerie feelings left by imagery followed him to work.

He looked around the office as he walked in. Everything seemed normal. Some people were making calls, paperwork was being filled out, and much coffee consumed. The normality of the atmosphere helped clear away some of the eerie feeling the dream had left behind.

Takagi suspected that he would be having eerie dreams for a while. _Honestly, I'm more surprised they aren't nightmares_, he thought as he sat down at his desk and picked up the interoffice correspondence that was sitting on his desk. _They really need to be more careful about where they put this on a person's desk. I know that it would disappear if put on the desk of half the people here_.

He opened up the mail and began to read. It was what amounted to a newsletter, reiterating the request Megure made to wrap-up cases as quickly as was feasible. Scanning down the information, he noticed that there seemed to be a lot more meetings scheduled than there had been. Finished with reading it, Takagi opened a drawer to throw the letter and envelope into when he noticed that there was another piece of paper in there.

It took a moment to fish it out. It was a handwritten note.

'Takagi-kun,' it began, 'Barring a priority case, you and Sato-kun need to attend the meeting with me tomorrow morning. You don't need to bring anything. It will have something to do with that thing we discussed recently. If you have any questions, come talk to me. **Do not discuss this with anyone other than Sato-kun or myself.**'

-Megure'

Takagi reread it. He double checked to make sure it was dated today. A knot he had not even noticed came undone in his stomach. _Maybe we'll be getting answers or some direction. Hopefully no bad news_, he thought, his imagination supplying more than one scenario that would be bad. _But I _know_ it can't be good. Not after what we have learned. _Takagi wanted to growl with frustration. _If I don't go about my day normally, everyone will know something is up. I'm going to have to suck it for the meantime._

Shaking off the sudden lethargy that made him want to curl up and escape from the world, he stood up, grabbed his mug (which he noted was in desperate need of washing) and headed to the break room for some coffee. _Maybe it will help me wake up and clear my mind. The stuff is strong enough to strip paint, _he thought.

Takagi nearly tripped as he rounded a corner on the way back to the office. Looking down, he was surprised to see Conan standing there.

"I'm sorry about that, Conan-kun," said Takagi, "I really didn't see you down there." He gave Conan a puzzled frown. "Are you about a case?" he asked, leaving 'again' unspoken but clearly understood.

Conan gave him a sardonic grin, "I'm here so much I should get a job, right? That's what I hear the other detectives say." An officer walking by the pair, sputtered hearing Conan say that and walked off quickly, his body shaking from what looked like suppressed laughter.

Takagi and Conan watched the other man walk off before the traded a look.

Conan seemed to think about something a moment. He cast a quick glance around and then gave a very unchildlike shrug. He looked up at Takagi. The detective swore that he was being sized up behind the oversized glasses. "Say, Detective Takagi," Conan started, the child-timber dropping completely away, "I've thought about our conversation in the elevator. After thinking about it awhile, I think I may answer your question. But not today," he finished. As sort of suppressed amusement and self-loathing seemed to shine from his eyes as he said that.

Takagi was about to ask about what question when the whole conversation came rushing back. He opened to mouth to say something but was arrested by the sight of Ran coming down the hall.

After a moment, she noticed Takagi. Looking down, she could see the pint-sized private detective standing next to him. She picked up speed, working her way around a couple of officers, and she called out, "Shi-Conan-kun! We need to be going!" She nodded to Takagi, "Hi, Detective Takagi. I'm sorry, I can't really talk right now. We'll see you later." She grabbed Conan's hand and almost literally dragging him away.

Takagi stood there, frozen to the spot. The whole thing had come right out of the blue, blindsiding him completely.

"'Morning, Takagi!" Chiba said, giving Takagi a hearty thump on the back.

Takagi bit off a curse, his train of thought completely derailed. He snapped at Chiba, "Careful! I have coffee."

"Sorry about that." Chiba said, looking apologetic. "Better head back," he said, "I heard that the inspector is talking to everyone again this morning."

"Yeah," Takagi agreed. He followed Chiba back to the room but threw a look back in the direction Conan and Ran had gone. _What are they doing here?_ he asked himself. _As outrageous as it seems, it feels like he is connected to everything. Which makes no sense. But it feels like something big is going to happen really soon._

Takagi could not help but wonder, really wonder, just what the next couple of days would bring.

* * *

Author's note: Last chapter! I guess it's kind of a non-ending but it works for me. An epilogue will be up Friday with a post-script of sorts because people might want to know the actual dates and other little details and stuff that wouldn't have worked in the story but readers might want to know anyway.


	60. Epilogue

**Several months later: **

"Hey, Detective Takagi!"

Takagi turned around. It took him a moment to place the face, "Good evening, Kudo-kun."

"You got a few minutes?" Shinichi asked.

Takagi nodded, "Yeah, I was just going out to supper. What do you need?"

Shinichi trotted along until he was alongside the detective, "Oh, I'll tell you at dinner. My treat." Takagi lifted a brow. "It's the least I can do," Shinichi said. "You have helped me out a lot. And I'm going to owe it to you."

The teenager lead Takagi to a nice restaurant and they were seated in a private little alcove. After giving their orders, Takagi settled down and gave Shinichi the 'I can wait as long as it takes' look.

To his surprise, Shinichi laughed. "Well, I suppose right now is as good as time as any to tell you about it." More to himself, "It _is_ after the life of Conan."

Takagi sat straight up. What the teenager just said sounded terribly ominous. Conan was supposed to have returned home months ago. He was missed (in different ways depending on who was asked).

Shinichi noticed him stiffen. "Ah, it isn't quite what it sounds like. Don't jump to conclusions." Takagi swore he could see suppressed amusement in the teen's eyes, "I will have to ask you not tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. It's dangerous enough for me. I'm only telling you after a lot of thought."

Reluctantly, Takagi agreed, so long as keeping it secret did not endanger anyone.

"I did promise to tell who I really was in the afterlife and, in a manner of speaking, it is."

Takagi stared at Shinichi. What he said rang a bell.

The teen volunteered two words. "Tokyo Tower?"

The figurative light bulb went off for Takagi who found he could only stare open mouthed at Shinichi. There was only one person who told him that. _I__t can't be possible!_

Reading the expression on Takagi's face, Shinichi said, "Yeah, it sounds outrageous but hear me out." Shinichi was grinning in a self depreciating way and a launched into how it had happened.

As Shinichi explained, it all began to fall into place. All the discrepancies and mixed signals from Conan. He found that as the talk went on, only interrupted by the arrival of the food, that he could ask the questions he had wanted the answers to before but could not ask. He had to laugh when he learned about 'The Sleeping Kogoro' but also found himself feeling a little sorry for the former police detective. Takagi knew he could be a good detective when he felt properly motivated.

It was well into the evening when Takagi and Shinichi finally walked out of the restaurant. Takagi felt like his head was swimming from what he had learned over dinner. And to keep it all secret would be a trial for a while (until he became used to keeping it). Shinichi began to walk in a different direction. He threw some parting words over his shoulder, "By the way, you and Detective Sato aren't fooling anyone. Why not just announce your engagement?"

Takagi blushed deeply and was about to respond when he noticed that the teen was gone. He shook his head but could not help but feel... special for knowing the back story for the international sting he and the department participated in.

* * *

**And that is the end of this story**

* * *

Remember that burglar that hit Takagi's apartment complex? He was the victim found in the pool. More to the point, he was what might be called an independent contractor hired by the BO. Not considered good enough to bring into the folds of the organization, he was considered good enough to be hired for selective jobs. He also had a habit of helping himself to other homes around the target. The habit was tolerated so long as he was not caught in the act.

So, when he was seen, they eliminated him. The handkerchief did belong to him and Takagi doesn't know that his apartment was 'inspected'. The BO wasn't expecting the body to be found so soon. A few more weeks and they would've been okay or less warm weather. By then, if he was identified, there would be a good chance that someone else would've moved into his apartment and further erased his presence.

As you might guess, events were building behind the scenes for a while and Takagi was only getting the edge of it by proximity to involved persons (ie Conan and Haibara) and because he is a detective with some directly related cases. Itty bitty little hints were dropped in the last couple of Conan-inclusive chapters. I admit that I don't feel like going back to dig them up.

Below is the list of prompts with the specific date and Takagi's days off:

1. Mail (Dec. 9)

2. Trance (Dec. 10)

3. Baby (Dec. 11)

4. Funeral (Dec. 12)

5. Birth (Dec. 13)

6. Wedding (Dec. 14)

7. Understanding (Dec. 15)

8. Kiss (Dec. 16)

9. Police (Dec. 17)

10. Insanity (Dec. 18)

11. Impossible (Dec. 19), day off

12. Love (Dec. 20)

13. Roses (Dec. 21)

14. Rescue (Dec. 22)

15. March (Dec. 23), day off

16. Hospital (Dec. 24)

17. Red (Dec. 25)

18. Temperature (Dec. 26)

19. Touch (Dec. 27)

20. First Time (Dec. 28), day off

21. Fake (Dec. 29)

22. Redemption (Dec. 30)

23. Shower (Dec. 31)

24. Picture (Jan. 1), day off

25. Backyard (Jan. 2)

26. Best Friend (Jan. 3), day off

27. Taste (Jan. 4)

28. Leather (Jan. 5)

29. Clothes (Jan. 6)

30. France (Jan. 7)

31. Apart (Jan. 8), day off

32. Lovers (Jan. 9)

33. Moon (Jan. 10)

34. Dream (Jan. 11), day off

35. Bed (Jan. 12)

36. Together (Jan. 13)

37. Sex (Jan. 14)

38. Birthday (Jan. 15)

39. Enemies (Jan. 16)

40. Memories (Jan. 17), day off

41. Smell (Jan. 18)

42. Rain (Jan. 19)

43. Hear (Jan. 20)

44. Guilty (Jan. 21), day off

45. Pleasure (Jan. 22), day off

46. Innocence (Jan. 23)

47. Beauty (Jan. 24)

48. Shopping (Jan. 25)

49. Whisper (Jan. 26)

50. Alliances (Jan. 27)

51. Confusion (Jan. 28), day off

52. Time (Jan. 29)

53. Rome (Jan. 30)

54. Hope (Jan. 31)

55. Egypt (Fed. 1), day off

56. Old (Feb. 2)

57. Young (Feb. 3)

58. Heart (Feb. 4), day off

59. Borrowed (Feb. 5)

60. Blue (Feb. 6)


End file.
